Skip to main content

Categories

 


 

The Maryland History and Culture Bibliography

Ferguson, Ann M. "Heritage of Another Riversdale Family." Riverdale Town Crier 26 (March 1997): 3.

Greene, Carroll, Jr. A Chronology of the Life of Benjamin Banneker. Son of Maryland, 1731-1806. Annapolis: Maryland Department of Economic and Community Development, Commission on Afro-American History and Culture, 1976.

Krech, Shepard, III. Praise the Bridge That Carries You Over: The Life of Joseph L. Sutton. Boston: G. K. Hall and Co. (cloth); Cambridge, MD: Chenkman Publishing Co. (paper), 1981.
Notes: Biography of a black resident of Miles River Neck in Talbot County. Based on extensive oral history interviews, this personal narrative by a long-time Talbot County resident offers a unique look at the life of African Americans on the Eastern Shore. Joseph Sutton (1885-1980) led a long and eventful life, and his reminiscences are rich in personal detail. In addition to his own experiences, Sutton's words are a valuable source for understanding the personal impact of racism on African Americans.

Lewis, Clifford III., ed. "A Relation of a Voyage Made by Mr. Cyprian Thorowgood (from the Patuxent) to the Head of the Baye, April 24-May 5, 1634." Chronicles of St. Mary's 32 (November 1984): 201-207.

McPherson, James A. Crabcakes: A Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998.

Morgan, Julia Boublitz. "Son of a Slave." Johns Hopkins Magazine 32 (June 1981): 20-26.
Notes: Kelly Miller (b. 1863).

Murphy, Camay C. Can a Coal Scuttle Fly? Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 1996.

Murray, Pauli. Song in A Weary Throat: An American Pilgrimage. New York: Harper and Row, 1987.
Notes: Autobiography of a Black activist from Baltimore.

Porter, Frank W. "John Widgeon: Naturalist, Curator and Philosopher." Maryland Historical Magazine 79 (Winter 1984): 325-331.

Preston, Dickson J. Young Frederick Douglass: The Maryland Years. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1980.
Notes: There are a number of excellent biographies of Frederick Douglass including works by Eric Foner, William McFeeley and Benjamin Quarles. For the student of Maryland history, Preston's short but well-researched book focuses on the first twenty years of Douglass' life spent in Talbot County and Baltimore City. His experiences as a slave in Maryland shaped his subsequent career and thus are critical to understanding one of the greatest spokesmen for human rights.

Sundquist, Eric J., ed. Frederick Douglass: New Literary and Historical Essays. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990.

Watson, Denton L. Lion in the Lobby: Clarence Mitchell, Jr.'s Struggle for the Passage of Civil Rights Laws. New York: Morrow, 1990.
Notes: Chief lobbyist for the NAACP during the crucial decades of landmark Civil Rights legislation, Clarence Mitchell (1911-1984) was often called the "101st Senator." His wife, Juanita Jackson Mitchell, and mother-in-law, Lillie May Carroll Jackson, were leaders in the state and national NAACP. The story of his life parallels the history of the Civil Rights movement in the 20th century.

Wax, Darold D. "A Philadelphia Surgeon on a Slaving Voyage to Africa, 1749-1751." Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 92 (1968): 465-493.

Weisgal, Deborah. A Joyful Noise: Claiming the Songs of My Fathers. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1999.

Wentworth, Jean. "Not Without Honor: William Lloyd Garrison." Maryland Historical Magazine 62 (1967): 318-336.

Williams, Juan. Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary. New York: Times Books, 1998.
Notes: Thurgood Marshall was the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. His rise from a modest upbringing in Baltimore is chronicled in this biography by journalist Juan Williams. Marshall's 1954 victory as the lead attorney in <em>Brown v. Board of Education</em> established his standing as a champion in the Civil Rights movement. Early in his career as a lawyer for the NAACP, Marshall argued the case that led to the desegregation of the University of Maryland.

Bluett, Thomas. Some memoirs of the life of Job, the son of Solomon, the high priest of Boonda in Africa; who was a slave about two years in Maryland; and afterwards being brought to England, was set free, and sent to his native land in the year 1734. London: Printed for R. Ford, 1734.

Ball, Charles. Fifty years in chains. New York: H. Dayton; Indianapolis, IN: Dayton & Asher, 1859.

Henson, Josiah. Uncle Tom's story of his life from 1789 to 1877 / Rev. Josiah Henson. Nashville, TN: Winston-Derek Pub., 1997.

Stilll, William. The underground railroad. New York: Arno Press, 1968.

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the life of an American slave / Frederick Douglass. Boston : Anti-Slavery Office, 1845.

Douglass, Frederick. The life and times of Frederick Douglass : from 1817-1882. With an introduction by the Right Hon. John Bright. Edited by John Lobb. London : Christian Age Office, 1882.

Douglass, Frederick. My bondage and my freedom. With an introduction. By Dr. James M'Cune Smith. New York: Miller, Orton & Mulligan, 1855.

Plummer, Nellie Arnold. Out of the depths; or, The triumph of the cross. Hyattsville, MD: n.p., 1927.

Henson, Matthew Alexander. A Negro explorer at the North Pole. N.p., 1912; reprint. New York: Arno Press, 1969.

Back to Top