Scope and Content Note The collection contains manuscript versions of her articles and book and other related material such as grant applications, research notes, and correspondence; papers pertaining to professional organizations and activities such as the Arkansas Commemorative Commission, the Arkansas Sesquicentennial Commission, and the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History; papers pertaining to a lawsuit filed against the Little Rock School District concerning discriminatory employment...

Scope and Content Note

Materials in this collection are various draft manuscripts of Ruth Polk Patterson’s books about her grandfather’s life and work as a slave in Arkansas. Spencer Polk, Patterson’s grandfather, was born to an enslaved woman, Sally, and her enslaver Taylor Polk. Unusually, Spencer and his siblings by Sally were raised along with Taylor Polk's white children.