Our new book display explores the life and work of scholar, writer and political activist Angela Davis.
Davis has worked and campaigned over several decades for racial and gender equality, and wider social justice. She was a co-founder of Critical Resistance, an organisation working to dismantle the prison industrial complex, and was a longstanding member of the Communist Party USA, even running twice as their vice-presidential candidate in the 1980s. She was also a member of the Black Panther Party. Her academic work focuses on feminist and Marxist philosophy, critical theory, punishment and imprisonment, and African American studies. She is perhaps best known for her incarceration in 1970 and the “Free Angela Davis” movement that campaigned for her release until her acquittal in 1972.
The book display can be found on the ground floor on the left hand side, near the armchairs and low table. Many of these books can be loaned out, and some are also available as ebooks via SOLO.
Readers may be interested in the following ebooks:
The new selection of titles for the Alain Locke Collection are now available and on display in the Vere Harmsworth Library!
Alain Locke Display, taken January 2025
Readers will be able to see the new selections on the Ground Floor of the Library. This area, as part of our agreement with the Association of American Rhodes Scholars (AARS), will be dedicated to displaying and promoting the Collection.
With the kind agreement of the AARS, two collection intakes will be taken each year, totalling $10,000 worth of books per year.
In spring 2021, the VHL and RAI agreed to create the Alain Locke Collection with support from the AARS. Named after the first African American Rhodes Scholar, the collection aims to focus on research monographs in the areas of African American history, politics, biography and culture, alongside notable gaps in material not produced by commercial publishers.
The Bodleian is committed to providing students and researchers with world class access to resources to enable them to fulfil their scholarly ambitions. We are therefore hugely grateful to the AARS for pledging a gift of $25,000 over five years supporting the Alain Locke Collection. This supports our intention for the VHL to become a leading centre for the study of African American history, politics, and culture.
The establishment of the Alain Locke Collection will allow the VHL to expand the purchase of African American focused research monographs, without affecting expenditure on other research areas. It will build on the VHL’s current holdings and run alongside the continued intake of research monographs via the legal deposit agreements and e-book packages. It will allow the VHL to identify and address potential gaps in some of the older materials. Most significantly, it will demonstrate our commitment to representing African American history and culture within our collections.
Current students and researchers can recommend titles to be purchased for the Alain Locke Collection by contacting the Vere Harmsworth Librarian (bethan.davies@bodleian.ox.ac.uk).
If you have any further questions about the Alain Locke Collection, or the display, please contact Bethan Davies. To find out more about supporting the Vere Harmsworth Library and the Alain Locke collection please contact the Vere Harmsworth Library (vhl@bodleian.ox.ac.uk).
Alongside our current Martin Luther King Jr. book display, we are now displaying a selection of items from the Philip and Rosamund Davies U.S. Election Campaigns Archive which relate in a variety of ways to King’s life, work and legacy.
Central to the display is a magazine commemorating the campaign of Robert F. Kennedy, who was himself assassinated in 1968, two months after King, while running for the Democratic presidential nomination. In this magazine, visitors to the library can read Kennedy’s famous speech given in the immediate aftermath of the news of King’s assassination.
Robert “Bobby” Kennedy features again in a selection of campaign badges – his reads “Sock it to ’em Bobby”. It can be seen alongside one for Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1964 campaign; King himself supported Johnson’s campaign, and Johnson would go on to sign the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968. The selection is completed by three badges from Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign which make the longevity of King’s legacy clear by creating a direct connection between King and Obama.
Finally, looking at the wider context of the civil rights movement, we have on display a pamphlet produced by Henry Winston, another African American political leader and activist, entitled Negro-White Unity.
About the US Elections Campaign Archive
The Philip and Rosamund Davies U.S. Elections Campaigns Archive is an actively growing collection of campaign ephemera from American elections at all levels (National, State, Local). The Archive covers the 19th Century up to and including our current period, but the majority dates from the late 20th Century onwards. Materials include Includes buttons, posters, leaflets, stickers, t-shirts & hats, to more unique items: dolls, jewellery, shoes, bars of soap, playing cards, artwork & commemorative plates!
Negro-White Unity by Henry Winston, (New Outlook Publishers, 1967) (MS. 21407/204)
Henry Winston was an African American political leader and Marxist activist. Winston was actively involved in campaigning for African American Civil Rights in the 1940s and 50s, before the mainstream movement began. Winston was imprisoned from 1956-61 because of his involvement with the Communist Party. His imprisonment was seen as controversial due to his declining health and Winston eventually went blind due to inadequate treatment whilst in prison. This pamphlet was produced after Winston had left prison and had become the Communist Party USA Chairman. A digitised version of this leaflet is available via the American Left Ephemera Collection, University of Pittsburgh Digital Collections (https://digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt:31735061655746)
Robert F. Kennedy: The last campaign (Award Books, 1968) (MSS. Amer. s. 33 / 1 / 1)
Robert “Bobby” Kennedy was the attorney general of his brother John F. Kennedy’s administration in 1961-64. During that time, both Kennedys witnessed the growing civil rights movement, and the growth of King as a civil rights leader. In 1968, Bobby was running for the Democrat candidate, when the news of King’s assassination came through. The pages here show quotations from Bobby Kennedy’s speech in immediate response to the news, and shows his attendance at King’s funeral. This magazine was created to commemorate Bobby Kennedy’s final campaign, as he would also be assassinated two months after King.
Badges
Lyndon B. Johnson, Democrat Candidate, 1964 (MSS. Amer. s. 33 / 50)
Lyndon B. Johnson became the president after the Kennedy assassination. Partially in memory of John F. Kennedy, Johnson worked hard to get the 1964 Civil Rights Act through Congress. King was present when Johnson signed the Act into law.
Robert (Bobby) Kennedy, Democrat Candidate, 1968 (MSS. Amer. s. 33 / 50)
The badges chosen here (during the main campaign and in the run up to the 2009 inauguration) create a direct connection with Obama and Martin Luther King. Notably, one badge alters the famous picture of King with Malcolm X, taken in 1964.
Books by or including Dr King from the Vere Harmsworth collections
Stride toward freedom: The Montgomery story (Harpers & Brothers, 1958)
King’s first memoir discussed the events of the Montgomery bus boycott, which famously involved fellow activist Rosa Parks. King discusses the racial conditions before, during and after the boycott, the role of local activists and the importance of a non-violent approach. Later editions are also available in the Vere Harmsworth Library.
The Negro Protest: James Baldwin, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King talk with Kenneth B. Clark (Beacon Press, 1963)
Kenneth Clark was a psychologist. His famous work with his wife Marnie Clark involving children and dolls of different races was influential in the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling. This book is the text from Clark’s televised interviews with the three leading African American leaders of their time, and showcases the changing movement and different approaches, especially between King and Malcolm X. An ebook version is available via SOLO.
Strength to Love (Hodder & Stoughton, 1964)
King’s second book, originally published in 1963, contains King’s most well known and loved homilies. It enhanced King’s identity and his religious views, especially among the white audience. The version on display is the first UK edition, published in 1964. An ebook version of a later edition is available via SOLO.
Why we can’t wait (Harper & Rowe, 1964)
King’s third book, it tells the story of African American activism in the spring and summer of 1963. It also argues against the gradualist approach to Civil Rights.
Where do we go from here: chaos or community? (Bantam Books, 1968)
King’s last published work, the book was an analysis of the current state of the civil rights movement in 1968, and the state of American race relations. Post the Civil Rights Act, King was focused on improving the wages and living conditions of African Americans. This specific edition was published after King’s assassination, and includes a foreword by King’s widow, Coretta Scott King. An ebook version of a later edition is available via SOLO.
You can find out more about King’s works at The Martin Luther King Research & Education Institute at Stanford University: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a US federal holiday honouring King and the impact he had in advancing civil rights in the United States, falls this year on Monday 20th January. To mark this occasion, the Vere Harmsworth Library has created a book display highlighting some of the resources in our collection which relate to King and his legacy.
The book display can be found on the ground floor on the left hand side, near the armchairs and low table. Many of these books can be loaned out, and some are also available as ebooks via SOLO.
To find out more about using the Vere Harmsworth Library collections please contact the Vere Harmsworth Library (vhl@bodleian.ox.ac.uk).
With the US presidential election fast approaching, we are exhibiting a selection of materials from the Philip and Rosamund Davies US Elections Campaign Archive.
On display are an exciting range of election ephemera from the past two hundred years. Alongside badges produced by the Trump and Harris campaigns, readers can view Rock the Vote’s leaflet encouraging young people to vote in the 1990s, election guides produced by the League of Women Voters in the 1920s and 1960s, the Illustrated London News’ outraged sketch of fraudulent voters in the 1870s, and a book about the importance of voting written for the American Sunday School Union from the 1820s.
Readers can view the exhibited materials in the display cabinet on the ground floor, next to our current book display on US presidential elections.
The items chosen for the current display constitute a small part of the Philip and Rosamund Davies US Elections Campaign Archive, an actively growing collection of campaign ephemera from American elections at all levels (National, State, Local). The Archive covers the 19th Century up to and including our current period, but the majority dates from the late 20th Century onwards. Materials include buttons, posters, leaflets, stickers, t-shirts & hats, as well as more unique items such as dolls, jewellery, shoes, bars of soap, playing cards, artwork & commemorative plates! Readers wishing to view items from the archive should contact the Vere Harmsworth Library at vhl@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.
Full details of items on display:
Election Day, written for the American Sunday School Union, and Revised by the Committee of Publication (1820s)
Uncatalogued (post-2020 intake)
The American Sunday School Union was an inter-denominational organisation, originally founded in 1817, to establish Sunday schools of any denominational faith. It commissioned authors, often anonymous, to create stories on American subjects and settings, with the stated goal of creating literature of good “moral character” for children, at low cost. This book shows the process of three young men voting in an election, and discusses the civic importance of taking part in the election. The image in the front of the book shows local people waiting to vote. (An ebook version of this book is available online here through HathiTrust).
The Illustrated London News, 9 Dec 1876, sketch depicting fraudulent voters in the Presidential election in custody, New York
MS. 21407/188
This front image is taken of inside the Post Office Building, one of the polling centres in New York for the 1876 election between Tilden and Hayes. The Chief Supervisor of Elections, John Davenport, reportedly held those suspected of fraudulent voting within the above “cage”. Davenport’s methods were criticised and he was accused of committing election fraud for the Republican Party. The London News had a scathing comment on the proceedings: “it will scarcely tempt the subjects of our gracious Queen to envy the political liberties of the American Republic” (p.6). (An online version of this issue is available here, requiring a single sign on login).
Registration Information and a Guide to the Presidential elections, Massachusetts League of Women Voters (1920)
MS. 21407/191
The League of Women Voters was organised in 1920, a few months before the ratification of the 19th Amendment. The League was originally formed within the National American Women’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA), and many local suffrage groups were the basis for local Leagues of Women Voters. This was also the case for the Massachusetts League, which became particularly strong in Boston. The League produced non-partisan guidance for women on the election process, candidates and how to vote, even staging mock voting polls to guide women. (see Woods, “Women Take the Ballot Seriously”: Boston Women in the 1920 Election, National Park Service Blogpost).
Choosing the President, League of Women Voters, 1968
MS. 21407/191
This guide follows a similar template to the 1920 guide, but was produced on a national scale. The League created guides for each election to support its members. Viewing each guide shows how the electoral process has changed (or stayed the same), as well as the concerns of female voters. (An online version of this guide is available here.)
“Broom-Hilda says you’re never too far away to vote absentee” by Russell Myers, printed by the United States Department of Defence (1979)
MSS. Amer. s. 33 / 43 / 3
Broom-Hilda is a popular comic strip witch, created by Russel Myers, and distributed by the Chicago Tribune Syndicate. The character first appeared in April 1970. This poster was printed by the Department of Defence to encourage absentee voting among the military forces. Collecting votes from soldiers on active duty had always been difficult, and legislation to improve this began in the mid-20th Century, partly in reaction to issues encountered in WW2.
“You don’t let other people choose your music. Why let them choose your future?” Rock the Vote leaflet and sticker (1997)
MSS. Amer. s. 33 / 43 / 1
Rock the Vote is a nonpartisan organisation aiming to encourage young people (18-24) to vote and actively participate in the election process. It was founded in 1990 as a joint venture between music artists, executives and political activists, and co-founded by Jeff Ayeroff (former Virgin Records US co-chair). Its first campaign was against censorship, in response to movements to add warning labels to music with explicit content. Rock the Vote continues to be active to this today.
Bodleian Readers now have access to three new databases, which build on and expand our collections in three key areas: gender and sexuality, slavery and disability histories.
These three databases are part of a broader purchase of online resources. In line with the Bodleian Libraries’ strategy (pdf) to enhance our collections, the Bodleian Libraries committed substantial funding to a set of purchases of electronic research resources deemed to be important to researchers in the University. The below three have been highlighted as being of interest to Americanists.
The Institution of Slavery module explores, in vivid detail, the inner workings of slavery from 1492 to 1888. This compliments our existing collection Part II: Slave Trade in the Atlantic World. Includes:
Papers and diaries of slave owners, traders and pro-slavery advocates.
Papers of key political figures and families, such as US Attorney General and governor of Kentucky John J. Crittenden, and Massachusetts state senator, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts, and U.S. attorney Caleb Cushing.
Court records related to the case of Dred Scott, and personal papers of the Blair family, who were involved in Scott’s council during the trial.
court cases, petitions and legislation related to slavery from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Records related to East Florida (1737-1858) in English and Spanish, including resources related to slavery.
Senate Select Committee papers into John Brown’s raid of Harper’s Ferry (1859).
Slave narratives from the Federal Writer’s Project, collected and published in the 1930s.
…alongside records related to the institution of slavery in British North America and the Caribbean.
Disabilities in Society, Seventeenth to Twentieth Century presents monographs (books), manuscripts, and ephemera that provide a historical view of disabilities from the seventeenth to twentieth century. All collections in this database are sourced from the New York Academy of Medicine Library.
Papers of the general superintendent of the New York City Asylums from the 19th -early 20th Century, including correspondence, diaries, speeches, and involvement in key legal cases.
Case records, patient histories and correspondence of a 19th-early 20th Century nurologist.
Douglas C. McMurtrie Cripples Collection – 300 bound volumes containing approximately 3,500 separate books, pamphlets, reports, and articles on disability and the disabled (particuarly children) from the early 20th Century. This collection was established by McMurtrie, who was Directory of the Red Cross Institute for Crippled and Disabled Men.
over 3,000 pamphlets from the 19th/20th Century and historical books from the Library covering disabilities, diagnosis, treatment, memoirs, reports, policy documents, advertisements and more.
The Archives of Sexuality and Gender: Sex and Sexuality, Sixteenth to Twentieth Century is a collection like no other. It is made up of more than five thousand rare and unique books covering sex, sexuality, and gender issues across the sciences and humanities and throughout history. This compliments our existing collections: LGBTQ History and Culture since 1940, Parts Iand II.
Two of the three libraries which make up the collections are US-based. They are:
New York Academy of Medicine Library – more than 1,500 books covering topics in sex, sexuality, and gender, some dating from the 16th century. Also includes records related to the court case of Mary Ware Dennett, an early 20th Century birth control and sex education advocate.
The Kinsey Institute for Sex Research – a collection of materials from 1700 to 1860. This is a portion of Dr. Kinsey’s original library which he used to study human sexual behavior from a variety of academic and literary viewpoints.
Black Nationalism and the Revolutionary Action Movement: The Papers of Muhammad Ahmad (Max Stanford)
The Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM) came into existence as a result of a year of organizing for student rights and involvement in the civil rights movement among a collective of undergraduate students at Central State College (now University) in late May to early June of 1962.
Originally focused in Philadelphia, RAM, engaged in voter registration/education drives, organized community support for the economic boycotts of the Philadelphia “400” ministers led by Rev. Leon Sullivan and held free African/African-American history classes at its office. RAM participated in support demonstrations of the struggles then being waged in the South to end racial segregation. It was also active in coalitions to eliminate police brutality against the African-American community.
RAM became a national organisation in 1964, organising African American students, raising the demand for Black studies and campaigning for economic, social and political equality. It also sent organisers into Southern states. RAM was the first African-American organization to denounce the US government’s war of aggression against the people of Vietnam and support the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (NLF). RAM was dissolved in 1968, following pressure from US government intelligence agencies (most noticeably the FBI) and local police forces.
This collection of RAM records reproduces the writings and statements of the RAM and its leaders. It also covers organizations that evolved from or were influenced by RAM and persons that had close ties to RAM. The most prominent organization that evolved from RAM was the African People’s Party. Organizations which worked with RAM included the NAACP, SNCC and Deacons of Defense. Organizations influenced by RAM include the Black Panther Party, League of Revolutionary Black Workers, Youth Organization for Black Unity, African Liberation Support Committee, and the Republic of New Africa. Individuals associated with RAM and documented in this collection include Robert F. Williams, Malcolm X, Amiri Baraka, General Gordon Baker Jr., Yuri Kochiyama, Donald Freeman, James and Grace Lee Boggs, Herman Ferguson, Askia Muhammad Toure (Rolland Snellings), and Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael).
You can access Black Nationalism and Revolutionary Action Movement using your Single Sign On here.
Papers of Amiri Baraka, Poet Laureate of the Black Power Movement
The collection consists of materials from the years 1913 through 1998 that document African American author and activist Amiri Baraka and were gathered by Dr. Komozi Woodard in the course of his research. The extensive documentation includes poetry, organizational records, print publications, articles, plays, speeches, personal correspondence, oral histories, as well as some personal records. The materials cover Baraka’s involvement in the politics in Newark, N.J. and in Black Power movement organizations such as the Congress of African People, the National Black Conference movement, the Black Women’s United Front. Later materials document Baraka’s increasing involvement in Marxism.
The collection has been organised into 18 series,
Series I: Black Arts Movement, 1961-1998
Series II: Black Nationalism,, 1964-1977
Series III: Correspondence, 1967-1973
Series IV: Newark (New Jersey), 1913-1980
Series V: Congress of African People, 1960-1976 – Organisation founded by Baraka in 1970 to advance his own vision of African cultural nationalism.
Series VI: National Black Conferences and National Black Assembly, 1968-1975 –Includes the 1972 Convention in Gary, Indiana, where delegates adopted the National Black Political Agenda, also known as the Gary declaration and formed the National Black Assembly (NBA).
Series VII: Black Women’s United Front, 1975-1976 -Formed in 1974 by Amina Baraka (Sylvia Jones), the wife of Amiri Baraka.
Series VIII: Student Organization for Black Unity, 1971
Series IX: African Liberation Support Committee, 1973-1976
Series X: Revolutionary Communist League, 1974-1982 – founded by Bakara when CAP disintegrated in conflict, and reflects Baraka’s move away from nationalism to a Marxist position.
Series XI: African Socialism, 1973
Series XII: Black Marxists, 1969-1980– includes materials on black Marxist contemporaries of Baraka, and older black Marxists such as Harry Haywood, C.L.R. James, and Odis Hyde. The series also includes files on the All African Revolutionary Party, the Black Workers Congress, and the Progressive Labor Party.
Series XIII: National Black United Front, 1979-1981
Series XIV: Miscellaneous Materials, 1978-1988
Series XV: Serial Publications, 1968-1984
Series XVI: Oral Histories, 1984-1986 – transcripts from sixteen interviews conducted by Komozi Woodard and his assistants as part of an oral history project entitled, “The Making of Black NewArk: An Oral History of the Impact of the Freedom Movement on Newark Politics.” Most of the people interviewed were primarily local Newark activists, although there are also interviews with Baraka, Maulana Ron Karenga, and scholar John Henrik Clarke. This series of oral histories is one of the most unique and valuable parts of this collection.
Series XVII: Komozi Woodard’s Office Files, 1956-1986
You can access the Papers of Amari Baraka using your Single Sign On here.
The Archives of Sexuality and Gender: LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940, Part II provides coverage of the development, culture, and society of LGBTQ groups in the latter half of the twentieth century. It provides new perspectives on a diverse community and the wealth of resources available in the archive allow for creating connections amongst disparate materials. Oxford researchers now have access to both Part I and II of the Archives of Sexuality and Gender (see our previous blogpost for more information about Part I).
Materials were selected from the following US archives:
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, University of Southern California, Los Angeles – the world’s largest repository of LGBTQ materials, primarily focused on activities in California
GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco, California
J. David Lantham psychological surveys of subjects, focused on homosexuality within heterosexual marriage and gay recovering alcoholics, from the 1970s-80s.
Wide ranging collections of ephemera, oral histories, periodicals, primary research and statistics and papers of LGBTQ individuals and activists.
Alongside the above are materials from Canadian and British based collections, alongside ephemera and publications from Mexico, giving researchers a broader geographic context.
You can access Archives of Sexuality and Gender: LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940, Part IIhere, or via the Bodleian Libraries Database A-Z. Note that you will need to use your Single Sign On to access this resource.
America in records from colonial missionaries, 1635-1928
We are pleased to announce that Oxford researchers now have online access to 14 collections of the Anglican missionary archive, the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (USPG), which have been digitized by British Online Archives. Previously only available in the Weston Library, the digitised material can now be accessed throughout the University and remotely with the Oxford SSO.
The USPG is a UK-based Anglican missionary organisation, founded in 1701, which sent missionaries to many parts of the world and was involved in educational, charitable and medical work as well as evangelization. The material also throws light on social conditions, travel and daily life abroad from the view point of British missionaries and their families.
The digitized material is relevant to British, Commonwealth and global history, covering the 17th to mid-20th centuries. It has been organised into 14 collections which can be found via SOLO or Databases A-Z
The digitized material dates from 1635 to 1967 and includes letters, journals, reports, minute books, financial records, statistical returns, drawings, leaflets, questionnaires, school records, press cuttings, and printed books and magazines.
the establishment of the Anglican Church in north America
the American War of Independence
slavery and its abolition
the establishment of Christian schools
indigenous communities
women missionaries
the impact of colonialism
philanthropy
The digitized material represents a proportion of the whole USPG archive which is held on deposit in the Bodleian Library and is available for consultation in the Weston Library.
Lucy McCann, Senior Archivist, Special Collections, Bodleian Libraries
As we continue to grow our eresources collections on women’s history, we are pleased to announce that Oxford researchers now have access to Women’s Studies Archive: Issues and Identities.
This collection traces the path of women’s issues in the 19th and 20th centuries, drawing on primary sources from manuscripts, newspapers, periodicals, and more. It captures the foundation of women’s movements, struggles and triumphs, and provides researchers with valuable insights. It focusses on the social, political, and professional achievements of women, the pioneers of women’s movements, and is useful to understand the issues that have affected women and the many contributions they have made to society.
It is, however, more generally also a useful resource to research WWI, WWII, social and economic conditions, and world events in the 20th century, as described and seen from women’s perspectives and revealed in periodicals, correspondence and papers.
Individual source collections of particular interest to US historians are:
Periodicals and newsletters from the Herstory Collection, tracing the women’s rights movement in the US and abroad; alongside primary source collections focused on women’s health/mental health and the law.
Manuscript records of key women involved in political movements, missionary work or American pioneer activities.
Records of the Committee of Fifteen (1900-1901), a private group based in New York who collected evidence of “vice” – prostitution and gambling- to spur local authorities into action and promote anti-vice legislation.
Records of the Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL) and its founders.
Records of political anti-war movements, such as the Woman’s Peace Party (1914-1920), the Women’s Peace Union (1921-1940) and the United States section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) (1919-1959).
Files from two key grassroots feminist organisations based in Boston and San Francisco, which were part of the second-wave feminist movement.
Records from the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, including records from it’s predecessors (American Birth Control League and the Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau). Documents include minutes of meetings, conferences, subject files, correspondence and personal papers of key founders.
You can search across the above collections and other Gale databases via Gale Primary Sources. Please note that you will need to use your Single Sign On to access these resources.
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