Searching Databases for African American History Month: Frederick Douglass

By Shauntee Burns
February 24, 2012
Frederick Douglass., Digital ID 1103290, New York Public Library

Frederick Douglass., Digital ID 1103290, New York Public Library

February is African American History Month! The New York Public Library's databases have loads of information on influential African Americans. Let's take a look at Frederick Douglass as an example.

The African American Experience
This database explores the history and culture of African Americans.

  • Type "Frederick Douglass" in the bar labeled Quick Search. Click on the link under Topic Guides to get an overview of his life. To the left of the page you will find links that will provide time lines, primary documents, and lesson plans.

Biography in Context
Provides biographical information on more than 335,000 people from throughout history, around the world, and across all disciplines

  • Type "Frederick Douglass" in the search bar. You will find biographies, websites, magazines, and newspaper articles about him.

Grolier Online
Includes access to the Encyclopedia Americana, New Book of Knowledge, and Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, as well as Roget's II: The New Thesaurus and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  • Type "Frederick Douglass" in the search bar for results. You can also scroll down to the bottom of the page to the teachers link to find lesson plans that include Frederick Douglass.

U.S. History in Context
Has a variety of historical data from primary sources and reference documents, including photographs, illustrations, and maps

  • Type "Frederick Douglass" in the search bar for results. You can scroll down and at the bottom right you will find a video on Frederick Douglass’s life. This database also has a Resources link, where you can find lesson plans.

The Black World: Research Tools from the Schomburg Center
These selected sites offer access to free, high-quality research tools, and large databases of books, articles, oral histories, images, maps, interviews, and television programs. Some sites are specifically devoted to Africa and/or the African Diaspora, while others are more general, but include materials of interest to research in the history and cultures of the black world.

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