The African American Experience from 1850-1920 Database
The Ohio Historical Society is offering a new database highlighting the experiences of African-Americans in Ohio from 1850-1920. Its members have digitalized thirty thousand pages from numerous separate collections. They declare, “the real value of the collection is in the overall picture of black life that these combined collections provide.” African-Americans have been active in Ohio history since the establishment of the Northwest Territory. Additionally, Ohio has shaped African-American history nationally between 1850-1920, particularly in relation to: slavery, emancipation, the abolitionist movement, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.
A highlight of the database is the collection of John Rankin’s personal research. He was the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Ripley and a leading figure in the abolitionist movement. In 1835 Rankin founded the first antislavery society in Ohio, and has been credited as having helped hundreds of slaves escape to freedom. His collection includes twenty-seven slave narratives that have never been admitted to the Library of Congress and are solely in the hands of the Ohio Historical Society.
This new database tries to answer the question, “What is freedom?” by examining the African-American experience in this state. Articles are available from before the Civil War to an examination of civil rights protection to free speech. African American newspapers are included, as well as documents relating to Wilberforce University and its impact on the higher education of African Americans nationally.
Reference:
Flaming, John. Introduction to the African American Experience in Ohio 1850-1920. The Ohio Historical Society. 21 May 2009 <http://dbs.ohiohistory.org/africanam/intro.cfm>.
