Academic journals are peer-reviewed publications in which research pertaining to particular academic disciplines is published. The list of journals below include both academic journals and journals from the local and federal government. The academic journals have a wider scope of history, but should be good resources for finding articles on the Civil Rights Movement. The government journals were picked specifically for the resources they have on the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review: The Law Review was established in the spring of 1966. This student-run law review is published twice a year by Harvard Law School and contains articles, essays, and book reviews concerning civil rights and liberties. The review was created in the wake of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1964, to advance personal freedoms and human dignities through innovative legal scholarship. While this journal is not searchable by keyword, the journals are organized by year and the pdf’s available are labeled with the article titles and authors. This journal is available in print as well as electronically.
Report of the United States Commission on Civil Rights: The United States Commission on Civil Rights is a bipartisan, independent commission of the U.S. federal government, created in 1957. It is responsible for investigating, reporting on, and making recommendations concerning civil rights issues that face the nation. Books 1-5, from 1961 are available in the HathiTrust Digital Library. The Books list findings and recommendations of U.S. Commission on Civil Rights based on the information they had gathered over the span of two years. Book 1 spans Voting, Book 2 Education, Book 3 Employment, Book 4 Housing, and Book 5 Justice. These are great resources for students looking at the government’s perspective on the Civil Rights Movement.
The Michigan Civil Rights Commission: Intended to prevent discrimination, the Commission was established in 1963 to conduct educational programs that promote voluntary compliance with civil rights laws and investigate and resolve discrimination complaints. The annual reports summarize the activities of the Commission and the Department of Civil Rights for each year. This is a good resource for students looking to investigate the Civil Rights Movement more locally in Michigan.
The Journal of American History: This is the official academic journal of the Organization of American Historians and covers the field of American history. Established in 1914, this is a good academic history journal to check for articles on all aspects of American History. Students interested in finding articles on the Civil Rights Movement in the electronic format would be best served by using the search engine available through JSTOR using the ‘In This Title’ field. However, the journal is also available in print and microform.
The Journal of African American History: The Journal of African American History (formerly the Journal of Negro History 1916-2001) is an academic journal covering African American life and history and a good resource for finding articles on all aspects of African American history. Students interested in finding articles on the Civil Rights Movement in the electronic format would be best served by using the search engine available through JSTOR using the ‘In This Title’ field. However, the journal is also available in print and microform.