Key Resources
- data.census.govData.census.gov is the new platform to access data and digital content from the U.S. Census Bureau and has been designed to simplify access to the Bureau’s many data products. This chart shows data available. The 2020 Census data will be released on this site.
- Digital National Security Archive (DNSA) This link opens in a new windowPrimary source documents central to U.S. foreign and military policy since 1945.
- Congressional Publications, Executive Branch Document, 1789-1952 This link opens in a new windowLimit search to Executive Branch Documents.
- FraserU.S. economic, financial, and banking history -particularly of the Federal Reserve System.
- govinfoAccess to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.
- GovTrack.usInformation on Congress from independent entity
- Historical Publications of the U.S. Commission on Civil RightsLinks to digitized collections provided by the Thurgood Marshall Law Library, U. of Maryland
and the Robert S. Rankin Memorial Library at the US Commission on Civil Rights
- NCJRS Abstracts This link opens in a new windowJustice and drug-related information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS).
- National Technical Reports Library (NTRL) This link opens in a new windowProvides indexing and access to more than two million historical and current government technical reports of U.S. government sponsored research, 1900-present.
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new windowFull text of proposed legislation and its status in the legislative process and the full text of recently signed law. Provides information about current members of Congress and Congressional committees.
- ProQuest Congressional Congressional Record Permanent Digital Collection This link opens in a new window
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings, debates, and activities of Congress. ProQuest has digitized the bound Congressional Record and its three predecessors, the Annals of Congress (1789-1824), the Register of Debates (1824-1837), and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873). The Congressional Record Permanent Digital Collection covers the period 1789-1997.
- ProQuest Congressional Hearings Digital Collection, 1824-2010 This link opens in a new window
Hearings are the official record of committee hearings proceedings. The ProQuest Congressional Hearings Digital Collection provides digital access to a retrospective collection of hearings as a module available through ProQuest Congressional. The ProQuest Congressional Hearings Digital Collection includes abstracting, indexing, bibliographic information, and searchable PDFs for Congressional hearings from 1824-2010.
- ProQuest Congressional Research Digital Collection This link opens in a new window
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) was established within the Library of Congress to provide members, committees, and congressional staff with nonpartisan and objective research and analysis on all public policy issues. The ProQuest Congressional Research Digital Collection includes abstracting, indexing, bibliographic information, and searchable PDFs for CRS reports.
- ProQuest U.S. Serial Set Digital Collection This link opens in a new window
The U.S. Serial Set is a collection of U.S. Government publications compiled under directive of the Congress. It includes House and Senate documents and reports that contain comprehensive and often detailed information on an extremely wide range of subjects.
- Technical Report Archive & Image Library (TRAIL)Digitized U.S. government technical reports issued primarily prior to 1976.
- United States Commission on Civil RightsOfficial views of the Commission in its reports, letters, press releases and other correspondence.
- U.S. Declassified Documents (formerly DDRS) This link opens in a new windowCovers the political, social, and economic development and forces in post-World War II America. Locate key information underpinning studies in international relations, American studies, U.S. foreign and domestic policy studies, journalism and more.
Census Bureau
- The Black Alone Population in the United States: 2021Current Population Reports containing social, economic, and educational demographics on the Black population. Also linked to this page are tables for The Black Alone or in Combination Population in the U.S. 2021
- Data Visualization GalleryA weekly exploration of Census data.
- Estimates of Business Ownership by Gender, Ethnicity, and RaceSurvey of Business Owners giving information about business and owners characteristics.
- 2020 U.S. Population More Racially and Ethnically Diverse Than Measured in 2010Highlights on racial and ethnic diversity from the 2020 Census along with explanations for what each measure tells us about the nation’s population
- Race DataRacial data from the Census Bureau.
- Statistical Abstract of the United StatesAuthoritative summary of U.S. statistics since 1878.
Department of Defense
- Naval History and Heritage CommandMuseum, art gallery, research library, archives, underwater archaeology, research and writing programs, back to 1800.
Department of Education
- Civil Rights Data CollectionData on key education and civil rights issues for use by the Department's offices, including the Office for Civil Rights, and other policymakers and researchers.
- Department of Education: Office of Civil RightsThe mission is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation through vigorous enforcement of civil rights.
- Digest Of Educational StatisticsStatistical information covering American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. Digest includes data from many sources, both government and private, and especially by the National Center for Education Statistics.
- Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC)ERIC provides unlimited access to more than 1.3 million bibliographic records of journal articles and other education-related materials.
- Nation's Report CardThe National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. Assessments are conducted periodically in mathematics, reading, science, writing, the arts, civics, economics, geography, and U.S. history.
- Public Schools: Common Core of DataThe Common Core of Data (CCD) is a program of the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics that annually collects fiscal and non-fiscal data about all public schools, public school districts and state education agencies in the United States.
- Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups 2018Data on African American education in the U.S. Most of the information is contained in other federal reports, but the 228-page report is useful as it collects data on African American educational attainment at all levels in one place.
- Upward Bound ProgramUpward Bound provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance. The program provides opportunities for participants to succeed in their precollege performance and ultimately in their higher education pursuits. Upward Bound serves: high school students from low-income families; and high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree.
Environmental Protection Agency
- Environmental JusticeThe fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
Health and Human Services
- CDC: Obesity and OverweightDivision of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO)
Department of Homeland Security
- Homeland Security Digital LibraryU.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA and Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Department of Justice
- Bureau of Justice Statistics Home PageInformation on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government.
- Civil Rights DivisionThe Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice created in 1957 by the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all individuals, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, familial status and national origin.
- FBI Crime Data ExplorerMulti-year displays of crime data from the Uniform Crime Reports. Data tables and downloads, in multiple formats, are available. See the FBI Uniform Crime Report for data publications prior to 2019.
- FBI: Uniform Crime ReportAnnual statistical publications are produced from data provided by 17,000 law enforcement agencies across the US. Publications 1995- 2019 linked here. See the Crime Data Explorer for more recent data tables and downloads.
- Juvenile Justice and Delinquency ProgramsOJJDP sponsors research, program, and training initiatives; develops priorities and goals and sets policies to guide federal juvenile justice issues; disseminates information about juvenile justice issues; and awards funds to states to support local programming.
- National Criminal Justice Reference ServiceVirtual Library Search from the NCJRS - Justice and substance abuse information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide.
- Office for Victims of CrimeOversees diverse programs that benefit victims of crime.
- Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER)Case and docket information online from federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts, and the PACER Case Locator. You must create an account to search, and there are fees.
- Violence against Women OfficeComponent of the U.S. Department of Justice that implements the Violence against Women Act (VAWA).
Library of Congress
- American MemoryOpen access to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions.
- African American Mosaic: A Library of Congress Resource Guide1994 exhibit and resource guide to LC's African- American collections. Mosaic surveys the full range size, and variety of the Library's collections, including books, periodicals, prints, photographs, music, film, and recorded sound.
- Federal Courts Web ArchiveCoverage of federal judiciary websites, including Supreme Court, federal appellate courts, trial courts, and other tribunals. Sites include: slip opinions, transcripts, dockets, court rules, calendars, announcements, judicial biographies, statistics, educational resources, and reference materials.
National Archives and Records Administration
- African American Heritage: NARAThe Archives holds a wealth of material documenting the Black experience. This page highlights these resources online, in programs, and through traditional and social media.
- Archives Library Information Center Black HistoryNational Archives Black History Month homepage.
- Emancipation ProclamationIssued on January 1, 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln the Emancipation Proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."
- Freedman's Bureau Records: An Overview1997 Prologue article on the Freedman Bureau's records.
- Military Resources: Blacks in the MilitaryList of National Archives resources on Blacks in the military.
- John H. White: A Portrait of Black ChicagoIn 1973-1974, John H. White, a photographer with the Chicago Daily News, worked for the Environmental Protection Agency`s DOCUMERICA project photographing Chicago`s African American community.
- Suffrage and the Civil Rights Reform MovementsDocsTeach: online tool for teaching with documents, from the National Archives
National Park Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior.
- 400 Years of African-American History CommissionCoordinates 400th anniversary of the arrival of first enslaved Africans in the English colonies.
- African American Civil Rights NetworkCoordinates and facilitates Federal and non-Federal activities to commemorate, honor and interpret “…the history of the African American Civil Rights movement; the significance of the civil rights movement as a crucial element in the evolution of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and the relevance of the African American Civil Rights movement in fostering the spirit of social justice and national reconciliation.“
- African American Heritage: NPS Cultural ResourcesView Museum exhibits, go on a travel itinerary, or read indepth histories and interviews of famous African Americans and how they shaped the US.
- National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom ProgramCoordinate preservation and education efforts nationwide and integrate local historical places, museums, and interpretive programs associated with the Underground Railroad.