The Clarence Bacote papers include correspondence, news clippings, and research papers, but are primarily composed of publications. The papers focus on the activities of African Americans in the south. As an African American history professor at a southern black university, Dr. Bacote's papers reflect his ongoing mission to gain a stronger understanding of the political and social evolution of blacks in the south. This mission included the study of those blacks who had previously achieved a high status in the south, including Henry O. Flipper, James T. Rapier, and Horace Ward. Bacote sought out contemporary published examples of current schools of thought. Older published articles on segregation and black history are not found here. Also of note is his penchant to concentrate on mainstream media, local newspapers, and magazines, for a contemporary view of race relations. Dr. Bacote was also interested in assisting students in achieving high goals by providing them with information on scholastic fellowships and grants. Along these lines, he kept abreast of new research by subscribing to brochures for scholastic publications. Finally, Dr. Bacote kept a small amount of personal correspondence.