The manuscript collections, which are the strength of the Amistad Research Center's holdings, contain over fifteen million documents that record the efforts of those who have charted African American history and race relations. While about ninety percent of our holdings document African American history, ten percent document other ethnic groups such as Appalachian whites, Asian Americans, and Native Americans. Included are the papers of artists, educators, authors, business leaders, clergy, lawyers, factory workers, farmers, and musicians.

SOME THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT OUR MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS

Collections range in size from one folder to hundreds of boxes.

Documents are stored in acid-free boxes and folders in a climate-controlled environment.

One collection may have documentation on many different subjects.

One collection may also include many different types of items - letters, financial records, audiocassettes, videotapes, photographs, and more.

Most documents in a manuscript collection are unique - this means they exist nowhere else.

USING MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS

Because of the unique nature of manuscript collections, they must be handled with extreme care. Please see our Research staff for instructions on handling these materials.

It is important to consult secondary materials such as books and journals before using manuscript collections. To find books at the Amistad Research Center consult our Online Catalog.

Please visit other web pages for alphabetical list of manuscripts and subject listings of our collections, information on the American Missionary Association Archives, library resources and manuscript collection finding aids.

If you are interested doing research in the archives and collections, please visit our Doing Research page or contact the Reference Staff at research@amistadresearchcenter.org.