The idea of the poll tax and it’s origins really stood out to me as an interesting topic when I was reading Campbell’s book and the initial source I chose, Managing White Supremacy, so I decided to look into that more for my research. The library’s OneSearch filters were really helpful in leading me to a peer-reviewed article, but I had a little more trouble finding a second source. However, the databases that Nick, the librarian, showed us pointed me in the right direction. I was able to find two sources that I found interesting with relatively little difficulty, and I can’t help but be thankful for the great resources available at and through the library that made the process so smooth.
Category: prep note Page 10 of 24
Writing the Annotated Bibliography was actually a lot easier than it was in the past. In the past, I suppose I did not understand the task’s fundamental nature was a lot simpler and different as opposed to what I usually presumed. In terms of actually constructing, the library search engine was helpful in pulling up the exact article I needed, even though I already knew my primary source beforehand. Similar search terms under the general premise of “Vagrant Laws” pulled up results that expanded my potential focus to look at Vagrancy Laws and similar policies in other states.
Since my article did not have an author, it was a little harder to analyze the source. I ended up focusing on the publisher element, alluding to the New York Times and its success. I looked at the genuine governmental order issued and signed by the Assistant Adjutant General with a deeper dive into research. It was a bit difficult because Alfred H. Terry’s reputation had not mention his tenure in Virginia.
The research did help make me more aware of a history lens that was initially unknown. The fact that the Union established districts under military “rule” in the South through the “Military Districts” was also pretty interesting.
We could’ve talked about finding sources and writing an annotated bibliography for the whole semester, but nothing compares to having actual hands on experience (I know this and I’ve only just started the process). Seeing firsthand the amount of knowledge we have access to is much different from being told how many resources are available. I can infer that it would be more difficult to find resources at a larger university (since there would be more people wanting more documents, making it harder to get a specific piece), so I’m glad I can take advantage of the availability offered at UR.
When I started my annotated bibliography, I had trouble finding my source. I chose the book The Color of Their Skin and it was not in the Boatwright Memorial Library even though the website said it would be there. I talked to the librarians and I was able to find a copy at the Richmond Law Library. I read the pages before and after my selected quote, and it was easy for me to come up with a summary of the source. When typing my bibliography I had some issues with formatting and spacing, but I was able to figure it out. I’ve had trouble finding a peer-reviewed source about integration in Virginia schools for my two other sources.
When I began writing my annotated bibliography, I was very conflicted between two different sources. In the text, Campbell references a speech given by Frederick Douglass, and within that speech, Douglass touches on a text written by an Episcopalian Bishop named William Meade. Meade’s views on slavery were shocking and immediately caught my attention and sparked the question I am looking to answer which is how Christian leaders of the early 19th century could justify the system of slavery. I was unsure if it would be better to look at Douglass’ speech with Meade’s included or just the text from Meade. Eventually, I decided to do Douglass’ speech because it was very difficult to find a good source for Meade’s text. Writing the annotated bibliography was a little challenging and I am honestly still not completely certain that I did it correctly so hopefully working on it in class will help.
While I was researching my article for the annotated bibliography I came across a group that the author of my source heads. It is called the 1696 Heritage Group and they are a “historical consulting firm dedicated to helping persons and institutions of color to increase their knowledge and access to the light of truth of their unique American heritage.” I wasn’t able to look at everything that their website had to offer but from what I saw they are very interesting and dedicated to their work, they even have a blog as well on their page. Aside from coming across their page while writing, I did not have any detours/difficulty summarizing and working through my article.
I’ve been exploring the topic of the Richmond burial ground, which has been extremely interesting to me (horrible, obviously, but fascinating). The first source I chose was an autobiography of sorts written by Christopher McPherson, a free black clerk who lived in Richmond in the late 18th-early 19th centuries, and there’s a paragraph-long excerpt of his observations about the injustice of the burial ground that was quoted in our book. But it was so interesting to look at the full source and see that the burial ground is not the main focus at all – rather, the focus was on McPherson’s religious zeal and fervor, and how he viewed himself and his work of exposing injustices and remedying them as a proxy for God. He wrote letters to European royalty (English and German) and the Pope, and even met with President Madison once after Thomas Jefferson wrote McPherson a letter of introduction.
For my annotated bibliography, my topic is about the American colonization in Liberia, specifically about Lott Cary a Baptist minister. Summarizing my source was a lot easier than evaluating it, but in the end this source has given me a guideline to the question I am trying to answer but has not fully answered it at all. This has just been a base but I have enjoyed exploring new information and I am excited to find the rest of my sources and summarize them.
I really enjoyed our meeting on Tuesday, it was nice learning from the library and the one search research tools he gave us have been very effective in my research already. I have not tried out zotero yet but I am planning to do that over fall break.
After reading a bit more of my chosen source from Richmond’s Unhealed History, I jotted down some notes that summarized the book and some information that would answer my research question. After doing that, it was much easier to actually write the two paragraphs for this annotated bibliography entry. I found it hard to narrow down this whole book into a brief summary though. Also, since I skimmed it rather than reading the whole thing, I was unsure if my summary was sufficient enough to encapsulate the entire work. It was easier to write the second paragraph though because I was able to find answers to my research question on the pages surrounding Campbell’s citation. In terms of formatting, I am unsure about the indentations for each paragraph and the citation itself. I tried to mimic the example on the website, but I would like some further guidance on that. Also, I don’t know if we have to include our name somewhere on the paper. I know for MLA format there’s a way to do that on an annotated bibliography, but I don’t know what the Chicago format is. Finally, I’m unsure what the title should be, like if it should say Annotated Bibliography or just Bibliography. Overall, I think that an annotated bibliography would be a great project if you were to write a paper or do some other project right after making one.
While doing the draft of my annotated bibliography, I found it easy to summarize the sources’ points and give a brief summary of the excerpt and its authors. Additionally, it helped me organize my thoughts about the assignment and give an idea about how my research question has changed throughout this assignment. At first, I asked, “How did the annexation of counties into Richmond affect the education system in the long term?” But, after analyzing the paragraph more I realized my new question was “How did the annexation of other counties into Richmond affect the city as a whole?” It was interesting to me to learn the history behind the annexation, and that people resisted it because they did not want to have to live in a diverse and economically worse place. The Richmond that I see now was built off this annexation of neighboring suburbs, which is also why there is such a noticeable difference in the city. I’m interested in looking at the other sources that I picked out, one of which was about the history of education after the annexation, and see how it relates to the primary source.