by Roberta Logan
adapted from May/June 2000 Issue - From Montgomery to Birmingham
Uncovering the facts . . . today there are many books about the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The question is where do the writers in FOOTSTEPS magazine get their facts? Most writers, who are curious about history, do research. You can, too!
How can you dig up facts about a specific event like the Montgomery bus boycott or find out about the people who worked and lived in your community before you were born? Where can you search and explore to find out about the past?
History detectives search for primary sources. Photographs, letters, and newspaper articles are all examples of primary sources. In fact, a primary source is anything that was created at the time of an event that informs us about who was there and what happened.
To find out about your hometown in 1954, or the day you were born, one invaluable resource is your public library's newspaper file.
Sometimes these files are the actual newspapers, and sometimes newspapers have been photographed and are on microfilm.
How do you get started? What do you need?
Directions:
- Pick an event or a day about which you are curious. A good day to start with is your birthday.
- Go to your local library, and politely ask the librarian where the old newspapers are stored.
- Start with your hometown newspaper. The librarian will ask you to fill out "call slips" before you get your roll of microfilm. Let him / her show you how to thread the film on the reader / printer machine.
- Start digging - you'll be surprised by the discoveries you make.
- Send FOOTSTEPS a letter about the history you uncover.
NOTE: After checking through your local newspaper, ask for a newspaper that is distributed nationally, such as The New York Times.