Undergraduate Learning Librarian
University Library
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95053
kbaughmanmcdowell@scu.edu
Slavery and Unfreedom
Welcome to SCU Library
My name is Kelci and I am your librarian. I am here to support your research.
I do not judge or grade you.
I'm on a knowledge accrual mission along with you.
I expect you to be an active participant in this mission of developing your research skills.
Let's make the most of our time together!
* Reproduction of a handbill advertising a slave auction in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1769. (Wikipedia Commons)
Class Activities
Activity Instructions
Prepare for Our Class Activity
Don't have a topic? Go directly to the "Don't have a topic?" tab to explore background information and possible topics.
Ready to search on your topic?
- Pair up with the person next to you
- Tell the person your topic and where you are going to search
- Individually, first browse or search for primary sources for you or your partner
- Select an image of the best primary source. Download the image. Post it in column 2 of the Padlet. Show it to your partner.
- Next, individually search for secondary sources. If something comes up for your partner, let them know.
- Select the best secondary source (article or book). Locate the permalink. Post it in column 3 of the Padlet. Show it to your partner.
- Got some free time? Up-vote or down-vote the primary source images your classmates posted.
- We'll do a share-out at the end.
Column 2: Primary Sources
Explore either of the sources listed below.
I recommend browsing because the language used to describe primary source material is rarely the language we would use to describe it today.
You may opt to search, if you have a unique or specific keyword, for example the name of a ship or person.
Can you select an image of a primary source that would be appropriate for your paper? Post it on the Padlet. Extra points the more stimulating and fascinating it is.
This is supposed to be fun and inspirational, although sometimes it is more strategic to search for secondary information first. Come back to this after the next step if you are not finding good primary sources. You may also consult the More Primary Sources tab.
Pick a newspaper to search from this list (contemporary issues)
- Slavery, Abolition and Social Justice This link opens in a new windowThis resource brings together primary sources from libraries and archives across the Atlantic world, covering an extensive time period from 1490. Topics covered include the varieties of slavery, the legacy of slavery, the social justice perspective and the continued existence of slavery today. Go to DOCUMENTS > limit by THEME to browse.
- Empire Online This link opens in a new windowCollection of primary source material featuring coverage of the period 1492-1962 and resources on the topic of colonialism and slavery. Select DOCUMENTS or IMAGE GALLERY to browse primary sources.
- Slavery and Anti-Slavery This link opens in a new windowSlavery and Anti-Slavery contains primary source documents from archives all over the world covering the history of the slave trade from 1492-1888. Click COLLECTIONS in the top right menu to browse.
Column 3: Secondary Sources
It's time to make some decisions:
Book or article?
Pick: OSCAR (books) or a subject database (articles)?
Construct: an advanced search
Formula: 2-3 keyword terms, connected with and. No phrases or questions.
History Databases:
- America: History & Life with Full Text This link opens in a new windowThis database covers the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. With selective indexing for 1,700 journals from 1964 to the present, this database also provides full-text coverage of more than 196 journals and more than 92 books.
- Historical Abstracts with full-text This link opens in a new windowThis database covers the history of the world (except the United States and Canada) from 1450 forward. It provides selective indexing of historical articles from more than 1,800 journals in over 40 languages back to 1955, as well as access to the full text of more than 316 journals and more than 138 books.
- Peer-Reviewed Article SearchFollow this link, add one more keyword to the search box, and click search. You will be searching within all peer-reviewed journal articles under the subject heading "Slavery" in both America: History and Life and Historical Abstracts.
OSCAR for Books:
- Advanced Searching OSCARUse the formula created above to put one keyword in the first box and a second keyword in the second box. You may limit to physical location or ebook format.
- Browse OSCAR Slavery Subject HeadingsA listing of Library of Congress subject headings beginning with the word "slavery." Click the "XX additional entries" hyperlink to see all the books categorized under any specific subject heading. Click the request button on books that look good, or access ebooks online.