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Resources in African American History and Civil Rights

Resources in African American History and Civil Rights. at the Tennessee State Library & Archives. Where does the story of Civil Rights begin?. 1624 : Africans were imported as slaves to New York’s Hudson River Valley. 1645 : The TRIANGULAR SLAVE TRADE began:

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Resources in African American History and Civil Rights

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  1. Resources in African American History and Civil Rights at the Tennessee State Library & Archives

  2. Where does the storyof Civil Rightsbegin?

  3. 1624: Africans were imported as slaves to New York’s Hudson River Valley. • 1645: TheTRIANGULAR SLAVE TRADEbegan: • African SLAVES were brought to the West Indies to be traded for • SUGAR, RUM & TOBACCO, which • were sold in New England for LUMBER & MANUFACTURED GOODS, • in order to finance the purchase of new cargoes of SLAVES. Slave auctions 1688: Pennsylvania Quakers organized the first American protest against slavery.

  4. The Civil War brought many changes, but exploitation of black workers continued . . .

  5. Fort Negley • Fort Negley was the largest inland stone fort constructed during the Civil War. It was never directly attacked during the Battle of Nashville, and the fort’s cannons were fired only a few times. • Fort Negley, which covers four acres, was built in 1862, largely by impressed labor. More than 2,700 African Americans built Fort Negley, with only about 300 of them being paid for their labor. Many of the workers died from the lack of appropriate clothing, warm blankets, and adequate food and shelter.

  6. “I lost 48 hours trying to get Negroes, teams, tools, cooking utensils, and provisions. Only 150 Negroes so far, no tools, teams, etc. I wanted to employ 825 Negroes by the 11th.” (telegram, Gen. Morton to Gen. Buell, August 1862) Fort Negley, Nashville

  7. “At African church a negro man shot down by the guards engaged in pressing*. It is the custom of the Military authorities to go to the colored people’s churches on Sunday when they wish to make a big haul of pressed* men. The man died afterwards – Briggs attended him.”(Diary of Dr. John Berrien Lindsley, September 20, 1863)* Impressing/impressed: forcing people into military service without notice.

  8. During Reconstruction education began to change Southern attitudes. Fisk University 1868

  9. The Fisk Jubilee Singers helped make the nation aware of African American achievement. From the Merl Eppse Papers

  10. The transformation of America after the end of slavery generated many political cartoons.

  11. Cartoons and photographs are often the beginning of sympathy & understanding … and, eventually, of change. Images from TSLA Photo Database

  12. See John F. Baker’s book The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation Household Slaves at Wessyngton Plantation, Robertson County

  13. But Slavery by Another Name*still existed in Tennessee and other Southern states. State Legislatures came up with an untapped source of free labor: prisoners! Under the Convict Leasing program, prisoners were “rented out” to coal companies and other employers during the day & returned to their cells at night. The state made a great deal of money . . . and the prisoners had become slaves again. *See Douglas A. Blackmon’s eloquent book by that title (Anchor, 2009).

  14. A man could be thrown into jail for years for such minor offenses as stealing a fence rail to heat his house, or a loaf of bread to feed his family. Photo of Brushy Mountain Prison from Samuel Robert Simpson Papers

  15. By 1889 TCI was contracting out 60% of Tennessee’s prisoners for over $100,000 a year.One worker in ten died every year.

  16. One result of Convict Leasing was that white miners were shut out of earning their traditional livelihood. It was only after miners revolted that Convict Leasing ended and prison reform could occur.

  17. How can TSLA help you discover & untangle Tennessee’s past?

  18. The TSLA photo database, accessible from the main page of our web site and easily searchable by subject, contains thousands of photographs, sketches, and other images. Here are a few of the many ways: http://tn.gov/tsla/

  19. Images from TSLA Photo Database Mary Church Terrell (1863-1954) Ray Perkins Calvert photo, 1899 Sumner County child, 1950

  20. from Photo Database http://tn.gov/tsla/

  21. 2. Our Cartes de Visite collection is full of such treasures as this lovely portrait.

  22. This Cartede Visite shows a child with her slave nurse.

  23. 3. “This Honorable Body” in our online Exhibits area showcases the stories of the 14 African American legislators who served in the TN General Assembly in the 19th century. http://tn.gov/tsla/

  24. 19th Century Tennessee legislators:

  25. Tennessee’s 19th century African American legislators worked hard to makethe law more fair for everyone,but after the last of them left office (1888), the “Jim Crow” lawsdisenfranchised African Americans for many generations.

  26. TeVA: 4. The Tennessee Virtual Archive (TeVA) contains a wealth of historic images from the treasures in our collection. It is accessible from our main web page. http://tn.gov/tsla/

  27. The Harry Mustard Collection chronicles Rutherford County in the mid-1920s.

  28. The Mustard Collection focuses on health issues, as in this image of children lined up for vaccinations,

  29. and this delightful photo of a child visiting a health clinic.

  30. Mustard’s images spurred changes in Tennessee health standards.

  31. Other relevant TeVA images may be found in “Early 20th Century Schoolhouses”

  32. The Rosenwald schools, a vital part of early black education in Tennessee, were funded by a private foundation, along with some contributions from individual donors and state funds. Bells School, Crockett County

  33. Other TN Rosenwald schools Lauderdale County Crockett County White County Gibson County

  34. 5. TSLA holdings include a number of drawings and political cartoons, 1866 Memphis riots

  35. Fire in Freedmen’s Schoolhouse, Memphis, 1866

  36. From Harper’s Magazine, May 5, 1866: “Colored Orphan Asylum, Memphis.”TSLA Photo Database

  37. This Harper’s Weekly cartoon features Hiram Revels (seated right), the first black Senator,* who was elected to Jefferson Davis’s former seat.*Mississippi, 1870-1871

  38. 6. One of the most interesting photo collections at TSLA can be found in the Merl Eppse Papers, featuring images of cultural, educational, andrecreational life in Tennessee.cd

  39. Businesses of the 1940s and 1950s

  40. A Pearl High School basketball team

  41. Business class at Tennessee A&I

  42. Young stenographers (undated photo)

  43. Educational celebrations

  44. and social gatherings

  45. The Eppse collection also includes photos of several famous African Americans, including Hattie McDaniel, Louis Armstrong, Marian Anderson, and Jackie Robinson.

  46. 7. The Earl S. Miers River Photographs are part of the rich TeVA Collection. http://tn.gov/tsla/

  47. These workers are called roustabouts. http://tn.gov/tsla/

  48. This is a favorite from the Miers Collection. http://tn.gov/tsla/

  49. 8. The Fisk University scrapbook of W.H. Fort Jr. contains many historically valuable images. These photos show Langston Hughes on campus and a Nashville flood in 1926.

  50. 9. TSLA has a number of important photos and documents from the Civil Rights era. Images from TSLA Photo Database

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