Race Radicals

| Background Sources | Secondary Sources: Books | Secondary Sources: Journal Articles |
| Finding Published Primary Sources | Websites |

Most of the databases linked from this page are restricted to UW students, staff and faculty. To connect to these databases from home you will need to first click on the Off-Campus Access button in the upper-right hand corner and login.

For research help, please contact Theresa Mudrock, the history librarian via email at mudrock@u.washington.edu or Jessica Albano, the communication studies librarian at jalbano@u.washington.edu

Background Sources -- Encyclopedias

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 subject, 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.

Asian American encyclopedia Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference -- E184.O6 A827 1995 Dictionary of American History Encyclopedia of African-American culture and history Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference -- E185 .E54 2006 Encyclopedia of North American Indians Encyclopedia of the American left Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference -- HX86 .E58 1998 Oxford African American Studies Center Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States Racial and ethnic relations in America Suzzallo Reference -- E49 .R33 2000

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 Summit (if available at one of the member libraries) or through Interlibrary Loan.

UW Libraries Catalog A listing of the books, journal subscriptions and other material available at the University of Washington Libraries. Summit Joint catalog of more than 25 academic libraries in Oregon and Washington. Books can be requested and shipped to the UW for pick-up. OhioLINK Use OhioLink to access chapters of recent books, use the "Words" search option. OCLC WorldCat Joint catalog of thousands of major libraries in the U.S. and abroad. Useful for identifying materials for interlibrary loan purposes.

Finding Articles

Use databases to find articles on a topic. Use those which best fit your research topic. For a complete list of databases see Research Databases on the Library homepage.

To find a copy of the article, use the Check for UW Holdings button available on most databases to locate a copy in the library. If there is no button, search the UW Libraries Catalog for the title of the journal to locate a copy. Be sure to have the complete citation (author, title, journal name, volume, pages and year) of your article.

Articles from journals which the UW does not own can be requested via Interlibrary loan.

America History & Life This is the best database to find articles dealing with all aspects of American and Canadian history. Also includes citations to selected books, dissertations and reviews. Black Studies Center This database includes an index to articles (with some fulltext), topical essays and the Chicago Defender newspaper (primary source). Also see Primary Sources in US History, a hodge-podge collection of primary and secondary sources dealing with African American and women's history. Chicano Index Index to articles on Mexican American topics. Also see Hispanic American Periodical Index [HAPI]. Proquest Databases This is a good general beginning database to find articles on all subjects. Proquest includes newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals. Subsets included are Ethnic NewsWatch and Alt-Press Watch. For another similar database see Academic Search Premier. JSTOR JSTOR is a collection of more than 40 full-text history-related journals. For another collection of searchable electronic journals related to history see Project Muse.

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, e.g, books by Eldridge Cleaver or the Black Panther Party Use special subject terms that designate primary sources: sources, personal narratives, diaries, correspondence, interviews Example: african americans and civil rights and interviews black panther party and sources

Finding Primary Sources -- Magazine & Newspaper Articles

The UW Libraries has a number of 19th and 20th century magazines and journals. Many of them are in print (either in Suzzallo Periodicals or in a storage area), others are on microfilm.

The libraries also has a basic collection of major U.S. newspapers on microfilm for the 19th and 20th centuries. Complete runs are available for such papers as the San Francisco Chronicle, Oregonian and Seattle Times. The libraries also has a strong collection of Northwest papers. In addition, there is a collection on microfilm of underground newspapers from the late 1960s. Newspapers are housed in the Microform and Newspaper Collections (Mcnews) on the ground floor of Suzzallo.

Alternative Press Index Printed index to articles published in alternative publications, dates from 1969 to the present. Also see Alt-Press Watch with coverage mostly starting in the late 1990s. Chicago Defender Fulltext version of the major African American newspaper from 1905 to 1975. Ethnic Newswatch Fulltext database to articles from ethnic newspapers and magazines with some coverage back to 1960. Historic New York Times Fulltext version of the New York Times from 1851 to 2003. Pacific Northwest Regional Newspaper and Periodical Index Online version useful for current years; earlier years available as a card catalog in Special Collections (basement Allen Library south). Covers local newspapers, magazines, and other material dealing with PNW history from the 1850s to the present. PAIS Index to political/economic journals and selected books and government reports from 1915 to the present. Reader's Guide Retrospective General index to American magazines for the period of 1890 to 1980. Also available in print in Suzzallo Reference AI3 .R48.

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 and other material. Some material is printed while others are available on microfilm. 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 on the ground floor of Suzzallo.

Congressional Universe Full-text debates, bills, reports dating back to approximately 1989 and indexing of congressional reports and hearings dating back to 1789. MarciveWeb Docs 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. Archival Research Catalog (ARC) The National Archives has digitized a hodge-podge selection of their massive collection including more than 400 documents related to the Chinese Exclusion Act and thousands of photographs of relocation camps.

Finding Primary Sources -- Manuscript Collections

Microfilmed manuscript collections provide a rich and comprehensive set of primary sources from a particular organization or on a specific topic. The collections below are those that are most relevant for this class. For a more complete list see selected list of microfilm sets. Microfilm collections and their guides are housed in the Microform and Newspaper Collections (mcnews) on the ground floor of Suzzallo. American Radicalism Collection [236 reels - esp. Part 3: Race, Gender, and the Struggle for Justice and Equal Rights ] (housed at UW Tacoma, TAC-459, guide available in mcnews, reels can be requested by emailing taclib@u.washington.edu - they will be sent to mcnews) FBI File, NAACP [4 reels] - A8259 FBI file on NNC [2 reels] - A8260 Malcolm X: FBI surveillance file [2 reels] - A7225 The Martin Luther King, Jr., FBI file [25 reels] - Microfilm A8281 pt.1 and pt. 2 Records of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, 1895-1992 [50 reels] - A9702 Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Central Classified Files, 1907-1939 [77 reels] - A9601 Records of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, 1895-1992 [41 reels] - A9701 U.S. Military Intelligence Reports: Surveillance of Radicals in the U.S., 1917-1941 [34 reels] - A8286 Printed manuscript collections dealing with Northwest history are housed in Special Collections in the basement of Allen Library South. It is best to do preliminary research in published material first before delving into manuscripts. This is just a selective list of manuscript collection, please check with Special Collections for other possible manuscripts. Read Using the Collections prior to visiting. Cannery Workers and Farm Laborers Union, Local 7 records, 1915-1985 [46.31 cubic feet] - Acc. #3927-001, finding guide in Special Collections Carlos Bulosan Papers, 1948-1956 [4.65 cubic feet and microfilm] - Acc. #0581-012, finding guide in Special Collections* Central Seattle Community Council Federation Records 1945-1984 [28.29 cubic feet] - Acc. #1801, finding guide* Chris Mensalvas Papers 1948-1974 [250 items] - finding guide in Special Collections Congress of Racial Equality, Seattle Chapter, Records 1961-1970 [5 cubic feet] - Acc. #1563-001, finding guide John Caughlan Papers [93.26 cubic feet] - Acc. #0704, finding guide in Special Collections* Tyree Scott papers, ca. 1970-1995 [74 cubic feet], Acc. #5245-001, finding guide* Victorio A. Velasco papers, 1920-1968 [15.17 cubic feet] - Acc. #1435-003, finding guide in Special Collections * some access restrictions, check with Special Collections

The web is a growing source for primary sources dealing with U.S. history. For additional links to primary source collections see History on the Web. For information on evaluating primary source websites see Using Primary Sources on the Web.

Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project AIM and Wounded Knee Documents Black Panther Party Sound Recording Project Black Panther Party [FBI FOIA* documents] Cesar Chavez and United Farm Workers [FBI FOIA documents] Deacons for Defense and Justice [FBI FOIA documents] Leonard Peltier Trial Nation of Islam [FBI FOIA documents] Stokely Carmichael [FBI FOIA documents] WEB DuBois [FBI FOIA documents] * Freedom of Information Act

Image: logos of the American Indian Movement, Black Panther Party and the United Farm Workers.