After you've chosen the topic for your paper, you'll want to find yourself some REFERENCE sources. Why? Because reference sources (think encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, and databases) allow you to get a firmer grasp on basic facts before you dive into the more interpretive literature (such as criticism articles, biographies, autobiographies, etc.) available on your topic.
Use the reference sources below to get started on your research. The facts you glean from these and other reference sources will enable you to keep an objective view while doing further research. They will also instill confidence in your own knowledge of the subject when writing your paper.
**GTC Libraries do not lend out materials labeled with the yellow 'Reference' sticker**
The Cambridge Companion to the Literature of the American South by 
The Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature
The Devil's Mousetrap by 
Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage by 
Encyclopedia of Southern Literature by 
From Battlefields Rising by 
A Jury of Her Peers by 
Landmark American Speeches by 
The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature by 
Reading Native American Literature by 
Slavery by