Labor and the Civil Rights Movement

| Background Sources | Secondary Sources: Books | Secondary Sources: Journal Articles |
| Finding Published Primary Sources | Selected Web Resources |

Background Sources

Encyclopedias and dictionaries provide background information and can be used to identify key people, events and dates which can then be used as search terms for finding additional information. More importantly, because encyclopedias often cover the major issues surrounding the subect, they can help you narrow your research from a broad “who, what, where, when” topic to a “how or why” question. In addition many encyclopedia articles include short bibliographies that will lead you to the major works on the topic.

  • The ABC-CLIO companion to the American labor movement
            Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference - HD6508 .T39 1993
  • American immigrant cultures : builders of a nation
            Suzzallo Reference - E184.A1 A63448 1997
  • Asian American encyclopedia
            Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference - E184.O6 A827 1995
  • Dictionary of American Immigration History
            Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference - JV6430 .D33 1990
  • Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History
            Suzzallo Reference - E185 .E54 1996
  • Encyclopedia of Civil Rights in America
            Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference - E186.61 .E544 1998
  • Encyclopedia of American social history
            Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference - HN57 .E58 1993
  • Encyclopedia of the American West
            Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference - F591 .E485 1996
  • Encylopedia of the United States in the Twentieth Century
            Suzzallo Reference - E740.7 .E53 1996
  • The Columbia guide to Asian American history
            Suzzallo Stacks, Undergraduate Stacks - E184.O6 C64 2001

Finding Books

 Use the following databases to locate books in the UW Libraries and in other libraries around the region, nation and world. Books unavailable at the UW can be requested through the Interlibrary Borrowing Service.

  • UW Libraries Catalog
    A listing of the books, journal subscriptions and other material available at the University of Washington Libraries.
  • Cascade
    A listing of the books, journal subscriptions and other material available in the 6 public university library systems in Washington state. Books can be requested online and sent to the UW.
  • OCLC WorldCat [UW only]
    A listing of books, journal subscriptions and other material available in hundreds of major libraries in the U.S. and abroad.
  • OhioLINK
    Use OhioLink to access chapters of recent books, use the "Words" search option.

Finding Articles

Use indexes/abstracts/bibliographies to find articles (from scholarly journals, popular magazines and newspapers and sometimes books, dissertations, government reports, etc.) on a topic. Most indexes are arranged by subject or include a subject index. Indexes/abstracts are ongoing publications; bibliographies tend to be one volume and are more narrowly focused on a specific topic. There are indexes covering all sorts of subjects, use those which best fit your research topic. For a complete list of electronic indexes see Databases & Catalogs on the Information Gateway.

Once you identify articles you need make sure you have the complete citation (author, title, journal name, volume, pages and year), then look in the UW Libraries Catalog for the journal name (do a title search for the journal name to see if the UW subscribes) to see if and where the journal is kept (library location and call number).

Databases marked UW Only require that you access these from computers on campus or from home using UWICK or the libraries proxy server. Articles from journals which the UW does not own can be requested through the Interlibrary Borrowing Service.
  • America History & Life [UW only]
    Major index to articles in U.S. and Canadian history. Also includes citations to selected books, dissertations and reviews.
  • EconLit [UW only]
    Index to articles and chapters dealing with current economic issues and economic history.
  • Expanded Academic Index [UW only]
    General index to magazine and journal articles in all subjects, includes some full-text.
  • HAPI, Hispanic American periodicals index, 1970-1999
    Annual index to articles published in Hispanic magazines and journals. Also see the Chicano Index, 1967-1992 (Z1361.M4 C47)
            Suzzallo Reference - Z1605 .H492
  • The Harvard Guide to African-American History
    Selected list of citations to the "most important publications" dealing with Black history.
            Suzzallo Reference - E185 .H326 2001
  • The Kaiser index to black resources, 1948-1986
    Five-volume Index to magazine, journal and selected newspaper articles dealing with African Amrican history. Can be used to identify primary sources as well as secondary sources.
            Suzzallo Reference - Z1361.N39 K34 1992
  • Research Library [UW only]
    General index to magazine and journal articles in all subjects, includes some full-text.

Finding Published Primary Sources

Using Secondary Sources to Find Primary Sources

Secondary sources, scholarly journal articles and books, are a great source for identifying potential primary sources. Find a few articles, books or dissertations related to your topic and then mine the footnotes and bibliography. You will have the best luck finding published primary sources such as books, government reports, newspapers and magazines within the UW Libraries. Use the UW Libraries Catalog to determine if we have the primary source.

Finding Primary Sources -- Books

The UW Libraries has a strong collection of books that can be considered primary sources for history. These include books written during the period for your topic (i.e., during the 1890s), books written by participants, published collections of correspondence and other personal writings, memoirs and reprints of collections of primary source material. Use the UW Libraries Catalog to search for these materials.

  • Limit your search by publication date.
  • Search for books written by key participants and organizations.
  • Browse the shelves in the appropriate subject area.
  • Use special subject terms that designate primary sources:
    sources, personal narratives, diaries, correspondence, interviews
  • Example:
    • african americans and south* and interviews

Finding Primary Sources -- Articles

The UW Libraries has a strong collection of magazines and journals from the 19th and 20th century. Many of them are in print (either in Suzzallo Periodicals or in a storage area), others are on microfilm. There is limited electronic indexing for early 20th century material.

The libraries also has a basic collection of major U.S. newspapers on microfilm for the late 19th and 20th centuries. Complete runs are available for such papers as the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Oregonian and Seattle Times. The libraries has a strong collection on Northwest papers. A selective list of Ethnic and Special Audience newspapers is available and will help identify some of the many local ethnic and labor papers available. Newspapers are housed in the Microform and Newspaper Collections (Mcnews) on the first floor of Suzzallo.


Magazines and Journals
  • Reader's Guide Retrospective [UW only]
    The electronic version of this general index to American magazines covers roughly 1963-1982. For complete coverage from 1890 to the present see the printed version, Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature. [Suzzallo Reference AI3 .R48]
  • PAIS [UW only]
    Electronic version of this index to political/economic journals and selected books and government reports covers 1972 to the present. For complete coverage from 1915 to the present see the printed version. [Suzzallo Reference Z7163 .P9]
  • International Index, 1920-1965
    Index to major humanities and social sciences journals. Succeeded by the Social Sciences and Humanities indexes.
            Suzzallo Reference - AI3 .R49

Newspapers
  • Ethnic NewsWatch [UW only]
    Full-text collection of ethnic newspapers with selective coverage dating back to 1960 (most coverage dates from the 1990s). Includes El Nuevo Herald, Oakland Post, Filipino Reporter, Navajo Times and other publications.
  • New York Times Index
    Index to the newspaper is available in print from 1851 to the present. Partially available on line - Historical Index to the New York Times covers 1863-1905 and 1913-1922. Other indexes providing retrospective coverage include the San Francisco Newspapers Index, 1904-1959 [on microfilm in Mcnews M-2810] and the Library Association of Portland Newspaper Index, 1851-1984 [on microfilm in Mcnews M-1244]. If you are using a paper without an index, use the one for the New York Times to pinpoint dates. If you are working on a particular event, then you can just browse newspapers from that week.
  • Pacific Northwest Regional Newspaper and Periodical Index
    Card index available in the Manuscripts, Special Collections, University Archives (MSCUA) division in the basement of Allen South. The regional index covers local newspapers, magazines, and other material dealing with PNW history from the 1850s to the present. Current years are available online.

Finding Primary Sources -- Government Reports

The UW Libraries has a strong collection of U.S. government documents including federal agency publications, congressional hearings and reports, statistics, and other material. Some material is printed while others are available on microfilm or electronically. Some material can be found through the UW Libraries Catalog, for other material use the sources listed below. For more information about locating government documents check with the Government Publications section is in the basement of Suzzallo.

  • Congressional Universe [UW only]
    Full-text debates, bills, reports dating back to approximately 1989 and indexing of congressional reports and hearings dating back to 1789.
  • MarciveWeb Docs [UW only]
    Catalog to U.S. government documents published since 1976. For earlier documents see the Monthly Catalog to United States Government Publications (GovPub. 328.73 Un37m) and its predecessors.
  • Statistical Universe
    Indexes more than 100,000 federal statistical sources dating back to 1973 plus state, private and international statistical sources. Also see Historical statistics of the United States, colonial times to 1970 [Suzzallo Reference HA202 .H57 1989] and Historical statistics of Black America [Suzzallo Reference E185 .H543 1995].

Finding Primary Sources -- Microfilm Sets

Microfilm collections are housed in the Microform and Newspaper Collections on the first floor of Suzzallo Library. Guides to the sets are also kept in that area. A selective list of microfilm sets dealing with 20th century American history is available.


  • Alaska Packer's Association records [720 microfiche]
    Microform-Newspapers M-1327
  • American Federation of Labor and the Unions: National and International Union Records from the Samuel Gompers Era, 1877-1937 [149 reels]
    Microform-Newspapers A6683
  • American Labor Unions Constitutions and Proceedings: Part I, 1836-1974 [197 reels]
    Microform-Newspapers A5081
  • Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) Papers - Western Regional Office, 1962-1965 [5 reels]
    Microform-Newspapers A8104
  • The green rising, 1910-1977: a supplement to the Southern Tenant Farmers Union papers
    Microform-Newspapers A6612
  • Papers of the NAACP [383 reels]
    Microform-Newspapers A8473
  • Records of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, 1895-1992 [50 reels]
    Microform-Newspapers A9702
  • Southern Tenant Farmers Union Papers 1934-1970 [60 reels]
    Microform-Newspapers A4517

Selected Web Sites

Image: 1935 photograph by Ben Shahn, "Picking cotton, Pulaski County, Arkansas." Courtesy of America from the Great Depression to World War II: Photographs from the FSA-OWI, 1935-1945.

Slides | History Subject Page | Ethnic Studies Subject Page | Research 101 tutorial | UW Libraries

16 May 2002
Theresa Mudrock - mudrock@u.washington.edu