American Colonization Society Collection: Maps of Liberia, 1830-1870

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Map, "Map of the West Coast of Africa . . ." J. Ashmun, 1830
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A collection of 20 maps of Liberia produced or acquired by the American Colonization Society (ACS) in their efforts to settle free black Americans in West Africa. These maps show natural features on the west coast of Africa and locations of native peoples, colonist towns, and mission stations. The collection includes two maps made in 1868-69 by African-American explorer Benjamin Anderson. Users can zoom in to view map details. A "Time Line: History of Liberia" includes a 2,500 word essay with three photographs of Liberian presidents Joseph Jenkins Roberts and James Skivring and Roberts' wife Jane; links to 13 related documents; and a nine-title bibliography.

Rock Creek Station and Stricker Homesite [ID]

Description

In 1864, Ben Holladay was awarded a contract to deliver mail from Salt Lake City to Walla Walla, WA. Rock Creek became a "home station," where stage drivers and attendants lived while they were off-duty and where passengers could buy a meal or a night's lodging. The original station consisted of a lava-rock building that served as a hotel and barn. In 1865 a store was built at the site. A small community grew up around the business, which also became a social center.

The site offers tours.

McKinley Assassination Ink: A Documentary History

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Postcard, McKinley Monument, Buffalo, N. Y., McKinley Assassination. . . site
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On September 14, 1901, American anarchist Leon Czolgosz assassinated President William McKinley, propelling Theodore Roosevelt onto the U.S. political stage and, some historians would argue, making way for political modernization. Through hundreds of documents and images—including book chapters, newspaper articles and columns, sermons, poetry, and government documents—this website explores the McKinley assassination alongside U.S. politics and culture before and after.

Topics include turn-of-the-century journalism, race relations, anarchism, women's roles, the death penalty, international relations, and the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY, where McKinley was shot. A good place to begin is the "Quotes About" section, which provides short excerpts from a variety of sources that serve to familiarize users with conflicting views of McKinley, Czolgosz, Roosevelt, the assassination, Czolgosz's trial, and anarchism in the United States. All documents are keyword searchable and indexed by date, author, title, type, named persons, and source. An extensive bibliography provides suggestions for further reading.

Characteristics of Census Tracts in Nine U.S. Cities, 1940-1960

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Logo, Data & Information Services Center
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A 28-page study, including charts, of 1960 census data compiled according to residence areas, or "tracts," within the cities of Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Newark, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Also provides census data for 1940 and 1950 with regard to Chicago and Detroit. Offers raw data and percentage computations on total population of tracts, number of males and females, African-American ethnicity, foreign origin, age, marital status, income level, education, units of substandard housing, rent amounts, employment figures, and salary levels. Also provides medical-related data, such as numbers of hospitals, hospital beds, pharmacists, and types of physicians in each tract. Of use for those studying mid-20th-century urban history. See "History Matters" entry Data and Program Library Service: Online Data Archive for information on other social science studies available at this site.

Crailo State Historic Site [NY]

Description

The Crailo State Historic Site, named for the Crailo farm in the Netherlands, consists of an early 18th-century home. The home holds a museum presenting the history of the early Dutch immigrants in the northern Hudson Valley.

The site offers exhibits, guided tours, outreach programs for schools, and hearthside cooking programs. Reservations are required for school tours, outreach programs, and cooking programs.

Portrait of Medgar Evers

Description

Smithsonian curators examine a photograph of civil rights activist Medgar Evers (1925-1963), looking at what it says about the tension between racial groups at the time and the call for social change an accumulation of such media objects can communicate.

John Hope Franklin: The Historian and the African American Experience

Description

Distinguished historian and lifelong civil rights activist Professor John Hope Franklin joins archivist Allen Weinstein and Dr. Lonnie Bunch, director of the new National Museum of African-American History and Culture, to discuss his careers as educator, scholar, and activist.

To watch this interview, scroll to "John Hope Franklin," and select "Watch the Video."