Black Freedom Struggle in the United States

The Black Freedom Struggle website is freely available to students, educators and patrons at blackfreedom.proquest.com.

This curated selection of primary sources is designed for teaching and learning about the struggles and triumphs of Black Americans. Developed with input from Black history scholars and advisors, its easily discoverable materials are ideal for assignments and special projects focused on U.S. Black history.

The site covers several time periods in American history when the river of the Black Freedom Struggle ran more powerfully – while not losing sight of the fierce, often violent opposition that Black people have faced on the road to freedom. These periods include:

1. Slavery and the Abolitionist Movement (1790-1860)
2. The Civil War and the Reconstruction Era (1861-1877)
3. Jim Crow Era from 1878 to the Great Depression (1878-1932)
4. The New Deal and World War II (1933-1945)
5. The Civil Rights and Black Power Movements (1946-1975)
6. The Contemporary Era (1976-2000)