Transy and Race
Transy and Race Timeline (access on campus)
Transylvania University is one of the oldest institutions in the United States and often referred to as "historic." But what does that mean? What is Transylvania's "history" or, more aptly, what are its histories? And how do those narratives intersect with its actual past-specifically in terms of race? In the "Transy and Race" section, we will collaborate to address these questions in order to tell an honest history of Transy and its relation to race, racism, and historically underrepresented racial groups. Through the research process and in light of our discoveries, we will reflect on our own roles in Transylvania's ongoing, changing story.
Suggested Search Strings
Syllabus reading - available in the library
Gather Background Information
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Credo Reference provides access to a large number of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri and other reference books. Subjects covered include art, biography, history, literature, music, religion, and science and technology.
Primary Sources
- Digital Access ProjectThe University of Kentucky's Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies, the Lexington Black Prosperity Initiative, and the Fayette County Clerk's office present the Digital Access Project (DAP). The project will bring to light more than 130,000 pages of records, in 246 books, spanning from the late 1700s through 1865 and forward.
- The Transylvanian - 1960s and 1970s.The Transy Arts magazine
- Transylvania University Archives from 1857-1908The bulk of this is 1965-1900. Click on the Treasury Series, for instance, to see some of the digitized materials. The rest of the materials are still over at UK so students will need to identify what they want to see and make appointments.
- African American Newspapers, 1827-1998 This link opens in a new window
Search articles from historical African American Newspapers. - Black People in Lexington Oral History Project - Louie B. Nunn Center This link opens in a new window
This project was originally created as a partnership with the Urban League of Lexington-Fayette County in 1978. These interviews concern the educational, political, economic, and social opportunities for African Americans in Lexington during the twentieth century. It consists of 232 interviews. - Civil War Governors of Kentucky This link opens in a new window
Primary source material covering the history of Kentucky around the time of the Civil War. Includes documents covering slavery, tavern ownership, governance, and others. Created and maintained by the Kentucky Historical Society.
Don't forget that historical figures may have their papers (letters, documents, etc.) already published. For instance, the Papers of Henry Clay are available in print from the library and some volumes online.
Databases
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Provides articles from 1,900+ scholarly journals in the arts, humanities, and sciences and around 5,000 ebooks. Coverage dates for journals are from the very first issue of each journal (the nineteenth or early twentieth centuries for many) and continues to 2 – 5 years prior to the current year (moving wall). - Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 8,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. Includes searchable PDF content going back as far as 1887.
Scholarly Articles
Anderson, James D., and Christopher M. Span. “History of Education in the News: The Legacy of Slavery, Racism, and Contemporary Black Activism on Campus.” History of Education Quarterly, vol. 56, no. 4, 2016, pp. 646–56. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26356288. Accessed 9 Jan. 2025.
Featured Books
Religion, Race, and the Making of Confederate Kentucky, 1830-1880 by ISBN: 9781139909921Publication Date: 2014
Broader Primary Sources that may contain Kentucky materials
- Black Freedom Struggle in the United States This link opens in a new window
This database contains about 1,600 primary source documents spanning nearly all of U.S. history. Subjects covered include slavery and the abolitionist movement, the U.S. Civil War, and the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements of the 20th century. - Black Thought and Culture This link opens in a new window
Black Thought and Culture contains about 100,000 pages of non-fiction writings by over 1,000 American black leaders—teachers, artists, politicians, religious leaders, athletes, war veterans, entertainers, and other figures—covering 250 years of history. The collection includes letters, speeches, prefatory essays, political leaflets, interviews, periodicals, and trial transcripts. - AAS - American Antiquarian Historical Journal Collection - 1691-1876 This link opens in a new window
Over 6,500 titles titles from 1691 through 1876. Represents over two centuries of print culture documenting the life of America's people from the Colonial Era through the Civil War and Reconstruction. Broad subject areas covered in the collection reach into every facet of American life, including science, literature, medicine, agriculture, politics, slavery, women’s lives, family life, and religion. - New York Times Academic Pass This link opens in a new window
Check out the archives of the NYTimes. They started publishing in 1851 - Chronicling America - Library of Congress Newspapers, 1789-1963 This link opens in a new window
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1789-1963. Chronicling America is a website providing access to information about historic newspapers and select digitized newspaper pages, and is produced by the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP). Papers included can be browsed by state.
Library Session Materials
- Session 1 SlidesResources, Narrowing Topics, and Search Strategies
News & Magazines
- The Chronicle of HIgher EducationScroll to the second half of the page to browse issues. 30 day article embargo.
- The New York TimesActivate your free digital pass.
Citation Information
- Chicago Manual of Style online This link opens in a new window
This searchable edition of The Chicago Manual of Style Online provides recommendations on editorial style and publishing practices for the digital age. Available are the full contents of the latest edition of the Manual.
- Citing Archives, Manuscripts, Oral Histories, City Directories, and MapsYour guide to citing stuff that isn't well covered by Turabian's style manual.
