Black Teacher Archive Guide

Getting Access

If you are not affiliated with Harvard or another academic institution, there are still a wide range of databases and repositories that are open to you. You can use the Secondary Sources and Digital Primary Sources tabs on the left as a starting point, however if you are a member of your local library branch, you may already have access to more specialized databases such as ProQuest, JSTOR, local newspaper archives, and more.

Narrowing Your Scope

It is important to note that Colored Teachers Associations (CTAs) in varying states had different names, not all of which included the phrase colored teachers association, and some changed their names throughout their history. Keeping that in mind, while you may yield some results entering the phrase colored teachers association into a search engine, you are far more likely to see a high volume of unrelated results. Whether you’re using Google, the Library of Congress’ online catalog, or an academic research repository such as JSTOR, these tips will increase the likelihood that you find what you’re looking for:

• Choose an organization. The BTA has identified the following Colored Teacher Associations (parenthesis below indicate previous organization name): 

  • American Teachers Association (National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools)
  • Alabama State Teachers’ Association
  • Delaware State Colored Teachers’ Association
  • Arkansas Teachers’ Association 
  • Florida State Teachers’ Association
  • Georgia Teachers & Educators Association
  • Kentucky Teachers’ Association (Kentucky Negro Education Association)
  • Louisiana Education Association (Louisiana Colored Teachers Association)
  • Maryland Educational Association (Maryland State Colored Teachers’ Association)
  • Mississippi Teachers’ Association (Mississippi Association of Teachers in Colored Schools)
  • Missouri State Association of Negro Teachers
  • New Jersey Organization of Teachers of Colored Children
  • North Carolina Teachers’ Association (North Carolina State Teachers’ Educational Association)
  • Ohio Colored Teachers’ Association
  • Oklahoma Association of Negro Teachers
  • Palmetto Education Association (Palmetto State Teachers Association) 
  • Pennsylvania Association of Teachers of Colored Children
  • Tennessee State Association of Teachers’ in Colored Schools
  • Teachers State Association of Texas
  • Virginia Teachers Association (Virginia Association for Education)
  • West Virginia State Teachers’ Association 

General Search Tips Below:

• Use quotation marks around keywords or phrases that you want to ensure are in your search results. Ex: “Colored teachers”
• Use a combination of AND, OR, and asterisks (*) for searches with multiple terms in addition to quotation marks to further refine your results. Ex: In the search field, type - “negro” OR Colored AND Teach* (the asterisk here means your search will include variations on the word such as “teacher”, “teaching”, “teaches” etc.)
• Use names of key people, schools, and/or locations. Another search tactic is to use the same strategy to search for information about key members of the association you’re researching. Search for association presidents or secretaries for example, or the schools they taught at, for example. A copy of that association’s journal is a good place to start, particularly anniversary editions, which may include a brief history of the organization.
• Try variations on names and spellings. Association and institutional names often changed over the decades, and sometimes there are errors and variations on how individuals spell their name, trying alternate versions may help surface additional information.
• Use Advanced Search features to refine by subject headings. While refining your search is important, if your search engine has an “advanced search” or a “search by subject” functionality (ex: Library of Congress subject headings), taking advantage of these can help you find related information that you may not have come upon otherwise.
• Expect date discrepancies.  Even when you have an exact date for an event, it is possible that it was mis-reported, mis-recorded, or mis-transcribed across resources.  Be sure that your searches are flexible in the date field.
• Expect name discrepancies.  A common practice for the time was individuals going by initials for their first and middle name. When searching try full and abbreviated name. For example, W.E.B. Du Bois full name is William Edward Burghardt Du Bois. Also sometimes names could be misspelled.
• Search the town or school. If you know an individual has a relationship with a specific town or school review mentions for that could give you insight on the context of their experiences.

While the journals CTAs produced can be a key source in your research, below is a list of additional source types to consider that may help give you a more complete understanding of your topic:

• Personal Papers, Letters, Diaries, etc. In addition to searching for official documents, the personal papers of African American educators and administrators can offer additional valuable information. The Archive Grid platform is a resource to help you locate collections held across a variety of institutions and online.

• CTA Journals and Associated Material. The BTA is collecting and digitizing journal issues from various Colored Teachers Associations.  In addition to journals, associations produced news bulletins, special event booklets, proceedings, memos, meeting minutes, photographs, scrapbooks, speeches, and correspondence.

• School Records. Try searching for archival records such as yearbooks and catalogs for schools that association members were affiliated with for information on curriculum, instructors, and classmates. 

• Newspapers and Magazines. Searching local and regional newspapers, Black-owned newspapers and magazines, or student-run school newspapers can give a sense of organizational events and announcements. (See Newspapers and Magazines) 
• Other Association Records. Members in the Colored Teachers Associations were often involved in other organizations such as local churches, the NAACP, ASALH, the Urban League, Parent Teacher Associations, mutual aid societies, fraternities, sororities, and other civic, political, or cultural organizations.