Research Madness
But I found some amazing stuff! Found some great sources at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania yesterday. It's remarkable how different this trip was from my first real research trip, which also took me to the Free Library. I think I spent half the time back then just figuring out what I wanted to see. This time I was well prepared ahead of time, knew how to use Microfilm readers, and knew much more about my subject, so was able to weed through sources much faster.
I read the Philadelphia Press, ca. 1873, for half the day today, and found some amazing, explicit references to Black women's involvement in the Centennial, including a white woman organizer's remark to a Black leader that the hundredth Independence Day was "not a celebration which concerns [your] color." Wow.
Great bits and pieces that I missed my last time here, and the one thing I was desperately hoping to find--a list of names of Black women who attended the Women's Centennial Committee meeting--I found! I have a ton of stuff to work with now, and I'm really starting to get a sense of the story I want to tell. Do exciting moments like these make up for hours and hours of weeding through corn prices and ads for tooth polish? Ask me when I've had a nap. But all together, a very encouraging trip...