Overview
These 50 periodicals, dating back to the early 1800s, provide an unparalleled historical record of black Americans and their culture over a century and a half. Titles have been selected specifically for their value as seminal source materials for African American and African studies. They record activities of leading antislavery societies, accounts of colonization efforts before the Civil War, writings concerning movements devoted to the needs of the "freedmen," and much more. The struggle for freedom and opportunity is documented in such titles as Douglass' Monthly (1858- 1863), Du Bois's Crisis (1910-1940), and Randolph's Messenger (1917-1928). Also included are the less militant Alexander's Magazine, Brown American, and Colored American Magazine. There are also the news-oriented Color Line and Race Relations from the 1940s, and many others.