Self help and institution building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1830--1945

Black Pittsburgh is an integral part of Pittsburgh's general history, but has not been treated as such based on an array Pittsburgh histories. With the exception of Pittsburgh studies by Peter Gottleib and John Bodnar which focus primarily on the Great Migration of blacks from the South, black urbanization, and industrialization, this neglect persists. Pittsburgh's black history goes beyond the confines of these respective boundaries, extending to similar depths of black life in the migratory cities of New York, Cleveland, Chicago, and Milwaukee as blacks struggled to develop communities of their own. Beginning in 1830, this detailed study sheds new light on the building of Pittsburgh's black community, its relationship and contributions to the city, and Black History.;The methodology used in the completion of this study included a plethora of primary and secondary source materials, government documents, theses and dissertations. Primary sources includes several manuscript collections; unprocessed papers; minutes of organizations, social service, and government agencies; oral history interviews; newspapers, newsletters, and vertical files; various types of programs; pamphlets; church anniversary souvenir booklets; photographic collections; financial, monthly, quarterly, and annual reports; and correspondence. It is from these sources that the intimate details of black Pittsburgh were extracted and the larger part of the dissertation constructed.;Several important points have resulted from this comprehensive study on black Pittsburgh. Despite the non-portrayal of Pittsburgh blacks by many scholars, the city's blacks established a solid community by the third decade of the 19th century by creating a socially organized life against the racial prejudices of whites. Second, it brings to fore issues of race, class, and gender. This study describes the formation, significance, and activities of numerous black religious, social welfare, and educational institutions; the establishment of early black business; and social and political organizations. During the early decades of the 20th century, it tells the story of the city's black leadership successfully fought for black civil rights in employment, transportation, and public places like other northern black communities. Pittsburgh's black history is as important as that of other northern urban communities and deserves a place in Pittsburgh's general history where it rarely appears.