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THE ARCHIVE

PRIMARY SOURCES, PROPERLY CITED.

Every item carries its date, holding institution, and region, with an attribution block you can copy directly into research or classroom material.

5 items
DOCUMENT · 1867 · SOUTH CAROLINA

FREEDMEN'S BUREAU LABOR CONTRACT, BEAUFORT DISTRICT

A one-year labor agreement between a landowner and eleven freedpeople, listing names, ages, and terms of payment in shares of the crop.

Labor contract, Beaufort District, 1867. Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, RG 105, National Archives.
DOCUMENT · 1840 · WEST AFRICA

SETTLEMENT MAP OF THE LIBERIAN COAST

Hand-colored survey showing settlement parcels, rivers, and existing coastal towns.

Map of the Liberian coast, 1840. American Colonization Society Collection, Manuscript Division.
AUDIO · 1936 · GEORGIA SEA ISLANDS

SEA ISLAND SHOUT RECORDING

Fourteen minutes of ring shout singing recorded on wax cylinder, with collector's field notes.

Sea Island shout, 1936. Field recording collection, reel 22.
PHOTOGRAPH · C. 1880 · NORTH CAROLINA

PORTRAIT STUDY OF A NINETEENTH-CENTURY SCHOOLTEACHER

Studio portrait of a Freedmen's school teacher, mounted card with photographer's imprint.

Untitled portrait, c. 1880. Regional historical society, photograph file 118.
VIDEO · 1998 · MISSISSIPPI / ILLINOIS

ORAL HISTORY: MIGRATION NORTH, 1943

Forty-minute interview describing a family's departure from the Delta and arrival in Chicago.

Oral history interview, 1998. Community oral history project, tape 7.
WRITTEN FROM THE ARCHIVE

ARTICLES

COLONIAL ERA · 1600S

THE SPANISH, FRENCH, AND BRITISH IN AMERICA DURING THE 1600S

Understanding the real motives, alliances, and impact on Indigenous nations.

9 min read
GLOBAL IMPACT · 1800S

LIBERIA 1840: MAPS, SETTLEMENTS, AND THE COLONIZATION STORY

Documents and maps that reveal the truth about Liberia's founding.

7 min read
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS · PRE-1500

WHO WERE THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE OF TURTLE ISLAND?

Exploring the real Indigenous nations before colonial labels and distortions.

11 min read
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS · 800–1600

GOLD, SCHOLARSHIP, AND STATECRAFT IN THE WEST AFRICAN EMPIRES

How Ghana, Mali, and Songhai built wealth, universities, and trade law.

12 min read
SLAVERY & RESISTANCE · 1700S–PRESENT

THE GULLAH GEECHEE CORRIDOR AND THE COASTAL RECORD

Language, land, and the records that keep Lowcountry family lines traceable.

8 min read