Manuscripts (Others), 1956-1993

The C. Eric Lincoln collection (1909-2000) documents the life's work of the leading scholar on the Black Church and Black Religion in the United States. As a sociologist of religion, Dr. Lincoln is the co-author of the definitive study on the Black Church in America, a massive fourteen year inquiry into the most important institution in the African American community. Dr. Lincoln's career,. however, was not exclusively devoted to writing about the Black Church. In 1961, his doctoral dissertation on the Black Muslims was published as The Black Muslims in America, and out of this work, Lincoln's remarkable reputation as a scholar, teacher, consultant and speaker began.

An outstanding feature of the collection is an immense correspondence file dating back before 1960. This series, more than any other, indicates the many areas of activity in which Dr. Lincoln was involved during his professional life. Some of the letters are particularly useful in tracing his research efforts on the Black Muslims and the Black Church.

The next largest group of records constitute most of Dr. Lincoln's writings, from his poetry and short stories written while in high school and college, to his published articles in the nation's scholarly journals and commercial newspapers. All of Dr. Lincoln's published scholarly articles are included, as well as most of his non-published efforts, which, when taken together, provide the researcher with a vital understanding of his philosophy and opinions on the Black Church and Religion.

Another valuable portion of the Lincoln collection pertains to his research efforts, specifically on the Black Muslims and the Black Church. Included are rare Muslim publications, correspondence with Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad and several documents relating to his research on their group. The larger portion of Lincoln's research files have to do with his research on the Black Church. It must be stated however, that the majority of the materials Dr. Lincoln accumulated during his research efforts into the Black Muslims and the Black Church were destroyed in a fire which consumed virtually all of Lincoln's worldly possessions.

The remainder of the textual materials in the collection consist of documents which relate to Dr. Lincoln's role as a professor of religion and consultant to several private and public research foundations, along with an extensive file of newspaper clippings about him and the subjects and events of his time. Also included are an abundance of articles and manuscripts of other scholars and writers which Lincoln consistently maintained.

An important part of the collection are the hundreds of sound recordings Lincoln accumulated over the years. There are several one of a kind recordings of Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan and Ben Chavis, some of which were collected as a result of his research into the Black Muslims and the Wilmington Ten case in North Carolina. The recordings are on film, videocassette, reel-to-reel tape and audio cassette.

The rest of Dr. Lincoln's records include a photograph collection, plaques, awards and other memorabilia. The photograph collection contains over 400 individual prints, some of which date back to Lincoln's early childhood in Athens, Alabama, while many others were taken for research and professional purposes.