Methods of Historical Research is a senior seminar course required of every History major at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. Students spend the semester learning about the historian’s craft by doing it themselves. Spring 2020, Dr. Philis Barragán Goetz taught a section of Methods in collaboration with the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum (SAAACAM). Students researched topics related to Black history in Bexar County, focusing on the social, cultural, and political dimensions of African Americans’ experiences. These projects help fill a gap in our understanding of San Antonio history in the colonial era, the Gilded Age and Progressive era, and the post-WWII era.
The Methods of Historical Research class was established with the assistance of SAAACAM founder Everett Fly. Mr. Fly was also a class advisor. This research will assist SAAACAM in the creation of exhibits and be included in the SAAACAM archives. We hope you enjoy reading them.
African American Barber and Shop Owner
Albert Harold Banks
Cantu, Jarred John, "Albert Harold Banks" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 7. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/7
Cantu, Jarred John, "Albert Harold Banks" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 7. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/7
Narratives of former slaves in 1936-1938, including Albert Todd.
The Life of a Former Slave in Bexar County
De Hoyos, Karina, "The Life of a Former Slave in Bexar County" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 10. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/10
De Hoyos, Karina, "The Life of a Former Slave in Bexar County" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 10. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/10
According to the US Census Bureau the number of African American children living in poverty are higher than any other race.
Progressive Era Activism for Black Orphanage
Godoy, Isaac L., "Progressive Era Activism for Black Orphanage" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 6. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/6
Godoy, Isaac L., "Progressive Era Activism for Black Orphanage" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 6. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/6
Examining the life of John Miles gives into how he found stability and success in the midst of Jim Crow era, discrimination within the segregated world of Black baseball.
John ?Mule? Miles
Gonzales, Joe G., "John “Mule” Miles" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 8. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/8
Gonzales, Joe G., "John “Mule” Miles" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 8. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/8
This study brings into question the flexibility of the Spanish caste system. It also substantially adds to the history of black heritage in San Antonio. This research forces us to revisit and question the anglicized narrative of American history.
The Afro-Latino Presence in Late Colonial Spanish San Antonio
González Villarreal, Diana, "The Afro-Latino Presence in Late Colonial Spanish San Antonio" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 5. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/5
González Villarreal, Diana, "The Afro-Latino Presence in Late Colonial Spanish San Antonio" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 5. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/5
G. William Bouldin, a San Antonio based businessman who became a prominent role model for the San Antonio African American community during the early 1900s.
G. William Bouldin More Than a Businessman
Gutierrez, Mario M., "G. William Bouldin, More Than a Businessman" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 11. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/11
Gutierrez, Mario M., "G. William Bouldin, More Than a Businessman" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 11. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/11
Explore the history of the Cameo Theater since opening June 11, 1940.The History of the Cameo Theater
Gutierrez, Patricia M., "The History of the Cameo Theater" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 12. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/12
Gutierrez, Patricia M., "The History of the Cameo Theater" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 12. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/12
The Black community protested the sale of Douglass School because it was located centrally in downtown San Antonio and the proposed location for the new school was located on the eastside of San Antonio which made it difficult for many students to attend the only high school for Blacks in San Antonio.
Protest for Douglass School
Gutierrez, Robert M., "Protest for Douglass School" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 13. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/13
Gutierrez, Robert M., "Protest for Douglass School" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 13. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/13
Narratives from former slaves who lived in San Antonio.
The Unheard Stories of Former San Antonio Slaves
Harris, David R., "The Unheard Stories of Former San Antonio Slaves" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 3. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/3
Harris, David R., "The Unheard Stories of Former San Antonio Slaves" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 3. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/3
Mollie Carey Brown, Fanny Ellis Starnes, and Lady Henrietta Boyd were Black educators in the San Antonio public school system in the late nineteenth century who have incredible stories that may feel familiar to some women today.
The Impact of Marriage on African American Educators in Bexar Cou
LeJeune, Jordan, "The Impact of Marriage on African American Educators in Bexar County, 1880-1950" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 9. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/9
LeJeune, Jordan, "The Impact of Marriage on African American Educators in Bexar County, 1880-1950" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 9. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/9
This paper is about a person’s ability, to build purpose in society, and contribute to their community, using individual action despite the effects of racial prejudice and injustice.
Homer L. Rodgers_ The Commerce Street Tailor
Miller, Robert Grey, "Homer L. Rodgers: The Commerce Street Tailor" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 14. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/14
Miller, Robert Grey, "Homer L. Rodgers: The Commerce Street Tailor" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 14. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/14
Organized in 1918, the San Antonio Branch of the NAACP has extensively been a spearhead of the fight for justice, and a forerunner in the call to activism.
Founding of NAACP in San Antonio 1918_ A Call to Activism
Nolden, Eric D., "Founding of NAACP in San Antonio 1918: A Call to Activism" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 4. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/4
Nolden, Eric D., "Founding of NAACP in San Antonio 1918: A Call to Activism" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 4. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/4
This report will demonstrate that San Antonio's St. Paul Square district, much like some districts in Houston, was a hotspot for African American migration due to the various opportunities it provided.
Research on the Demographic Changes Around San Antonios St. Paul
Oliver, Christopher D., "Research on the Demographic Changes Around San Antonio's St. Paul Square from 1880 to 1920" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 2. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/2
Oliver, Christopher D., "Research on the Demographic Changes Around San Antonio's St. Paul Square from 1880 to 1920" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 2. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/2
This research uncovers how B.G. Irish and H.E. Dickinson from 1903-1925, as well as the work of Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) in the 1930’s contributed to the rise and expansion of redlining and segregation in San Antonio.
San Antonios Redlining and Segregation
Tovar, Arnulfo, "San Antonio's Redlining and Segregation" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 1. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/1
Tovar, Arnulfo, "San Antonio's Redlining and Segregation" (2020). Methods of Historical Research: Spring 2020. 1. https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/hist4301_spring2020/1
