Introduction
American Committee on Africa: Liberation Movements, Solidarity and Activism presents the archival records of the American Committee on Africa (ACOA) from its foundation in 1953 through to 1981 while the committee was under the leadership of George M. Houser. Exploration of these records will allow researchers to discover the organization's mission to support African liberation struggles and inform the American public about African issues.
Based in New York, the ACOA had a national focus and a broad range of participating members, including students, elected officials, and labor, civil rights and community leaders. Staff also travelled widely in Africa, attending conferences and visiting newly independent countries to meet with African leaders. The documents found in this resource provide insight into the internal structure and running of the organization as well as documenting all aspects of their activity and outreach.
Go to View Documents to begin browsing the collection.
Introduction
American Committee on Africa: Liberation Movements, Solidarity and Activism presents the archival records of the American Committee on Africa (ACOA) from its foundation in 1953 through to 1981 while the committee was under the leadership of George M. Houser. Exploration of these records will allow researchers to discover the organization's mission to support African liberation struggles and inform the American public about African issues.
Based in New York, the ACOA had a national focus and a broad range of participating members, including students, elected officials, and labor, civil rights and community leaders. Staff also travelled widely in Africa, attending conferences and visiting newly independent countries to meet with African leaders. The documents found in this resource provide insight into the internal structure and running of the organization as well as documenting all aspects of their activity and outreach.
Go to View Documents to begin browsing the collection.
Note on Authorship
As this collection comprises the records of the ACOA, the documents are predominantly authored by those within the organization or working or volunteering on their behalf. This means that the majority of documents in this resource have American authorship and include writing about African people and African affairs from an American perspective. Although documents with African authorship are present, they are in the minority. This bias of authorship should be taken into account when confronting these records.
For more information on how to find documents with African authorship within the collection, please visit the Searching Guide.
Please also note that, due to the period in which the primary sources in this resource were produced, some do contain language and terminology that is outdated, derogatory and offensive by modern standards. Learn more about our approach to terminology in this resource in the Language Statement.
Note on Authorship
As this collection comprises the records of the ACOA, the documents are predominantly authored by those within the organization or working or volunteering on their behalf. This means that the majority of documents in this resource have American authorship and include writing about African people and African affairs from an American perspective. Although documents with African authorship are present, they are in the minority. This bias of authorship should be taken into account when confronting these records.
For more information on how to find documents with African authorship within the collection, please visit the Searching Guide.
Please also note that, due to the period in which the primary sources in this resource were produced, some do contain language and terminology that is outdated, derogatory and offensive by modern standards. Learn more about our approach to terminology in this resource in the Language Statement.
Key Themes
The documents in this collection have each been tagged with themes, allowing users to browse the most useful content for their individual research needs. These themes have been created through consultation with the Editorial Board. As many of the documents in American Committee on Africa relate to multiple themes, the editorial team at AM have assigned a maximum of three themes to each document. Themes with the highest relevance to the document have been selected to optimize, rather than dilute, discoverability.
- Anti-Apartheid Campaigns
- African Independence and Decolonization
- Cold War and US Foreign Relations
- Race Relations
- Human Rights Legislation
- Activism and Protests
- Campaigning and Lobbying
- Organization and Administration of ACOA
- Churches and Religious Groups
- Visits, Conferences and Tours
For more information on each of these themes and links to relevant documents, visit the Thematic Guides.
Key Themes
The documents in this collection have each been tagged with themes, allowing users to browse the most useful content for their individual research needs. These themes have been created through consultation with the Editorial Board. As many of the documents in American Committee on Africa relate to multiple themes, the editorial team at AM have assigned a maximum of three themes to each document. Themes with the highest relevance to the document have been selected to optimize, rather than dilute, discoverability.
- Anti-Apartheid Campaigns
- African Independence and Decolonization
- Cold War and US Foreign Relations
- Race Relations
- Human Rights Legislation
- Activism and Protests
- Campaigning and Lobbying
- Organization and Administration of ACOA
- Churches and Religious Groups
- Visits, Conferences and Tours
For more information on each of these themes and links to relevant documents, visit the Thematic Guides.
Document Types
The archival content in this resource consists of the following document types, which can be used to filter the documents when browsing:
- Audio
- Correspondence
- Ephemera
- Photographs and Illustrations
- Reports and Memoranda
- Newsletters and Periodicals
- Newspapers and Magazines
- Notes
- Official Papers and Records
- Pamphlets and Leaflets
- Petitions
- Posters
- Press Releases
- Printed Books
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- Speeches
- Transcripts
Document Types
The archival content in this resource consists of the following document types, which can be used to filter the documents when browsing:
- Audio
- Correspondence
- Ephemera
- Photographs and Illustrations
- Reports and Memoranda
- Newsletters and Periodicals
- Newspapers and Magazines
- Notes
- Official Papers and Records
- Pamphlets and Leaflets
- Petitions
- Posters
- Press Releases
- Printed Books
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- Speeches
- Transcripts
Note on Metadata
The metadata accompanying the documents in American Committee in Africa has been drawn from library and archive catalogues, with additional data supplemented by the AM team to facilitate browsing and searching.
The metadata fields added by AM include:
- Document Type
- Theme
- Country
- Language
In some cases, edits or additions have been made to metadata taken from the library and archive catalogues to improve searchability and to ensure that the language and terminology is aligned with our current editorial guidelines. This is true for the following metadata fields:
- Title
- Date
For more information on language and terminology within this resource, please see our Language Statement.
Note on Metadata
The metadata accompanying the documents in American Committee in Africa has been drawn from library and archive catalogues, with additional data supplemented by the AM team to facilitate browsing and searching.
The metadata fields added by AM include:
- Document Type
- Theme
- Country
- Language
In some cases, edits or additions have been made to metadata taken from the library and archive catalogues to improve searchability and to ensure that the language and terminology is aligned with our current editorial guidelines. This is true for the following metadata fields:
- Title
- Date
For more information on language and terminology within this resource, please see our Language Statement.
Note on Redaction of Personal Data
Please note that some materials in this resource include personal information that has been redacted in order to protect the privacy of living individuals.
Visit the Copyright and Data Protection page for more information on redaction within this collection.
Note on Redaction of Personal Data
Please note that some materials in this resource include personal information that has been redacted in order to protect the privacy of living individuals.
Visit the Copyright and Data Protection page for more information on redaction within this collection.
Research and Teaching
A variety of research tools provide further contextual information or guidance for teaching and research, including essays, biographies and a history of the American Committee on Africa. Explore the options under Research Tools or view the full list in Teaching Tools.
Research and Teaching
A variety of research tools provide further contextual information or guidance for teaching and research, including essays, biographies and a history of the American Committee on Africa. Explore the options under Research Tools or view the full list in Teaching Tools.