Amistad Research Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Amistad Research Center |
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| The reading room at the Amistad Research Center | |
| Country | United States |
| Type | Research library and archive |
| Established | 1966 |
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | Manuscripts, books, and art |
| Size | approx. 15 million |
The Amistad Research Center (ARC) is a special place in the United States. It is an independent library and archive that collects important historical documents. Its main focus is on the history of African Americans and other ethnic minorities. It was one of the first places to gather records about African American history and the modern Civil Rights Movement.
The ARC holds about 15 million items! These include many documents, books, photos, and even fine arts. They also have digital copies of some items. This helps students and researchers learn about history even if they are far away. While the ARC mainly focuses on African American history, it also has collections about Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and the LGBTQ community.
Contents
How the Amistad Research Center Began
The Amistad Story and Early Roots
The story of the ARC goes back to a famous court case in 1841. This case involved a ship called the Amistad. People who fought against slavery, called abolitionists, helped the Africans from the Amistad ship. These abolitionists later helped start the American Missionary Association (AMA). The AMA was a group that worked against unfair treatment and for equality.
After the United States Civil War, the AMA opened many schools for formerly enslaved people and other groups across the United States. This included colleges and universities. The AMA later joined with other churches. They continued to work for civil rights and education. In 1942, they created the Race Relations Department at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. The Amistad Research Center was then started within this department in 1966. Its purpose was to keep the AMA's historical records safe.
Clifton H. Johnson became the first director of the ARC in 1966. He was a great choice because he knew a lot about the AMA's history. He had even written his college paper about them! Johnson wanted the ARC to be a place where scholars could find important original documents about African American history. The ARC later became its own independent non-profit organization in 1969.
Moving to Dillard University
After becoming independent, the ARC needed a new home. Dr. Albert W. Dent, who used to be the president of Dillard University in New Orleans, invited the ARC to move there. In 1970, the ARC moved into Dillard University's library. The university let them use the space for free. They even promised land to build a new, permanent building. However, the money for a new building never came through. The ARC's collections kept growing, and they soon ran out of space at Dillard.
A Stop at the New Orleans Mint
In 1980, the Amistad Research Center moved again. This time, it went to the New Orleans Mint. The United States government had given this old building to the State of Louisiana. The ARC made a deal to rent space there for only $1 a year! The ARC spent $500,000 to fix up the new space. They thought it would be big enough for 15 years. But the collections grew even faster than expected. After just five years, the ARC needed more space again!
Finding a Home at Tulane University
By the mid-1980s, the ARC was looking for a new, bigger home. Many universities wanted to host the center, including Harvard University and Tulane University. Some people were worried about moving the center to places like Tulane because of their past history with Black students. However, many people in New Orleans wanted the ARC to stay in their city. Local groups and leaders, including New Orleans Mayor Ernest Morial, strongly supported moving the ARC to Tulane.
The board of the ARC decided to move to Tulane University. The ARC has been on Tulane's campus in Uptown New Orleans since 1987. In 1996, Donald DeVore became the first African American director of the ARC. He was the third director in its history.
What the Amistad Research Center Holds
Archives and Manuscripts Collection
The ARC has about 800 collections of old papers and documents. These show important cultural movements, civil rights efforts, race relations, education, politics, and art. They have 250,000 photographs, some as old as 1860! These include old-fashioned photos called tintypes and glass negatives. They also have many microfilm copies, which are like tiny photos of documents.
The center also has nearly 8,000 videos and audio recordings. These include oral histories, which are spoken stories from people who were part of the Civil Rights Movement, community leaders, artists, and musicians. You can also find materials related to famous people like W.E.B. DuBois, Mary McLeod Bethune, Langston Hughes, and Frederick Douglass.
Some of the important papers and records they hold belong to:
Library Collection
The ARC's library has many books, pamphlets, and newspapers. These items help tell the story of different ethnic groups in the United States. The library has about 45,000 books, including some very rare first editions. It also has over 2,000 different magazines and journals dating back to 1826. Plus, there are 1.5 million newspaper articles and 30,000 pamphlets!
The library has special collections, like books from the personal libraries of authors Countee Cullen and Chester Himes. They also have a growing collection of comics and graphic novels. A very special item is Lewis Tappan's book of pamphlets about the Amistad court case, with his own handwritten notes! Other cool items include old rules about slavery in French Louisiana from the 1700s.
Art Collection
The ARC has a wonderful collection of about 400 pieces of African American art. Many of these artworks came from the William E. Harmon Foundation. They show the growth of African American art in the mid-1900s. The collection includes portraits, landscapes, and scenes from everyday life. Many of these artworks are available to view online.
Because the ARC doesn't have unlimited space, their artworks are often shown in big museums. These include the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the Cleveland Museum of Art.
One of the most famous parts of the collection is the 41 paintings in the Toussaint L'Ouverture series. These were created in 1938 by Jacob Lawrence, a famous American artist. Lawrence was only 21 years old when he painted this series. The paintings tell the story of the Haitian Revolution.
Another highlight is Ellis Wilson's oil painting called Funeral Procession. This painting was even featured on a popular TV show in the 1980s!
The ARC's art collection includes works from:
See Also
