Researching African American History
Oral History
Explore the 3D model to unlock excerpts from a 2017 oral history interview with Jake Oliver, former publisher and CEO of the Baltimore Afro American newspaper.
Oral history is a field of study and a method of gathering, preserving, and interpreting the voices and memories of people and communities. This methodology provides personal perspectives and reflections on key moments in history.
The African American practice of passing on knowledge through oral history can be traced back to the centuries-old griot traditions in West African cultures. While early African societies did keep written records, oral history was also considered an essential resource for preserving history. Oral histories capture the memories, knowledge, skills, cultural traditions, faith, and other information that have been passed down through the generations.
This methodology also provides personal perspectives and reflections on key moments in history. Today, NMAAHC and other institutions conduct and collect oral histories of those who were involved in critical moments throughout American history.
Researching African American History
African American history is studied using traditional methodologies, research, and sources. It has also pioneered new ways to consider the past, including oral history, conservation, family history, and more.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) uses these research methods to study history, curate exhibits, and authenticate collections.
If you’re not capturing the oral traditions or recordings of our history orally, then you’re missing a lot of the culture and history.
Kelly Elaine Navies, Oral Historian, NMAAHC, 2021
Archives
Archives are materials created or collected by a person, family, or organization. They are maintained because of their enduring, or ongoing significance. Archives contain a variety of materials, including receipts, wills, letters, photographs, maps, manuscripts, and more.
African Americans are documented in archival records in a variety of ways – as authors and as subjects. Archival materials created by Black people—including slave narratives, abolitionist pamphlets, newspapers, and written speeches and sermons – provide Black perspectives from slavery through the present day.
Historians and museums use archival material to study the past and to curate exhibitions. Archives reveal the values, motivations, aspirations, and daily lives of their creators and the societies they emerge from.
Alvin Ailey Company group photo
Jack Mitchell Photography of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Collection
The Jack Mitchell Photography of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Collection is comprised of approximately 10,000 black and white prints of solo and ensemble acts, portraits of principle dancers, and various associates of the company. It also includes color slides and transparencies for private photo sessions and performances, black and white film strips, and reference materials.
Letter from Charlene Hodges Byrd to Charles R. Bird
The Charlene Hodges Byrd Collection
The Charlene Hodges Byrd collection documents the personal life and professional career of Charlene Hodges Byrd, an African American teacher from Washington, D.C., along with material for several related families from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. The collection dates from circa 1750-2009 and includes biographical material, correspondence, writings, financial and legal records, memorabilia, textiles, and photographs.
Material Culture and Conservation
Staff conserving The Grim Work of Death by Christopher Myers
Material culture refers to the objects people or communities use and create. Museums use material culture to understand more about the past and the people who created or used them. Museums also work with conservators to learn about the material composition of objects.
Conservators examine the materials that objects are made of; they also study how objects were made and used in the past. Conservators can show us how people used and repaired objects over time, like identifying patches on clothing or new pegs on a violin. Their work is also important for ensuring that objects are authentic. Objects are pieces of people’s lives, and historical and conservation research can help uncover deeper, more interesting stories.
We preserve the materials of the past so that they’re still around for those in the present and in the future.
Antje Nuemann, Supervisory Conservator, NMAAHC, 2021
Archeology
Archaeologists and researchers aided by NMAAHC recovered remnants of the Clotilda, the last known U.S. slave ship in 2019
Archaeology is the study of the human past through physical remains people, animals, and plants leave behind. Archaeologists excavate historic sites to analyze material culture and understand cultures or societies. Archaeology is conducted on land (terrestrial) and underwater (maritime).
Museum curators rely on the scholarship of archaeologists, whose work provides insight into the lived experiences of people and communities.
Genealogy and Family History
Using genealogy research, Museum staff identified Tempy Ruby Bryant as the owner of this dress from the 1860s.
Genealogy is the study of family history through the generations. Genealogy keeps personal narratives at the center of histories being explored and told. The NMAAHC uses genealogy to learn more about our collections, investigate historical events, and examine community and cultural practices. Researching people and their families can illuminate details about the lives of individuals and communities and paint fuller pictures of the past.
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Quantitative Data
Historians and other scholars create quantitative data after collecting, organizing, and interpreting information they have researched. Their analysis can provide insights into specific communities, historic events, and changes over time. NMAAHC uses this data to curate rich stories and exhibits and better understand the past. Quantitative data can tell us the number of slave ship voyages during the Transatlantic Slave Trade, or quality of life changes after labor unionization.
