Americana

The Beinecke Library’s major strengths in general Americana span the colonial period to the middle of the nineteenth century, complemented by important collections of twentieth century writers and photographers.

  • Mississippi Revealed (NHK World Japan)

    October 28, 2022

    Journey with Cannon Hersey as he explores parallels between battles over voting rights today and the historic struggles of the 1964 Freedom Summer in Mississippi. With his grandfather, famed writer John Hersey's groundbreaking "A Life for a Vote" as a roadmap, Cannon reveals how black farmers cultivated freedom by tending the earth, and are still striving to overcome a legacy of systemic oppression.

  • A Postcard from New Haven, CT (Contingent Magazine)

    July 29, 2022

    Although I spent only two days researching at Yale, I found several pertinent sources for my dissertation. Most of that time I worked at the Beinecke Library, located next to the law school. Tall and modern, the exterior of the Beinecke looks drastically different from the more traditional gothic buildings nearby. Walking inside the library, visitors like myself find a large enclosed glass case of rare books. The library holds over 1 million books, and it’s quite something to see many of them in such a unique display. The library’s reading room offered great space to read through its many collections, small or large, without the pressure of hovering over other researchers.

  • We Hold These Truths ...

    March 18, 2022

    A special outdoor display of images of some essential documents of United States history from the collections: the first printings of the Declaration of...

  • Jonathan Edwards and slavery: An interview with Edwards Center Director Kenneth Minkema

    February 23, 2022

    Kenneth Minkema is Executive Editor of The Works of Jonathan Edwards and Director of the Jonathan Edwards Center (link is external) at YDS. The Center supports inquiry into the life, writings, and legacy of the iconic 18th-century theologian (and Yale alumnus) by providing resources that encourage critical appraisal of his historical importance and contemporary relevance. Earlier this academic year, Minkema joined Yale University’s efforts to uncover and account for the university’s historical involvement in slavery and racism.

  • Students present research detailing Yale’s history with slavery (Yale Daily News)

    February 4, 2022

    On Monday, three students from the “Slavery, Race and Yale” fall seminar shared historical findings about the University’s ties to slavery. The students spoke virtually at a Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library event entitled “Yale & Slavery Research — Student Perspectives.” Taught by Professors Edward Rugemer and Crystal Feimster with teaching fellow Teanu Reid, the “Slavery, Race and Yale” seminar developed from the Yale and Slavery Research Project and its mission to explore and detail Yale’s history with racial slavery from its inception in 1701 through the late-19th century. Miguel Ceballo-Countryman ’23, Patrick Hayes ’24 and Mackenzie Hawkins ’22 each dis