Slavery

Historian Martha S. Jones (bottom left) turned to ledgers, deeds, census records and government documents to unravel her family's story.

How a Leading Black Historian Uncovered Her Own Family's Painful Past—and Why Her Ancestors' Stories Give Her Hope

Martha S. Jones' new memoir draws on genealogical research and memories shared by relatives

A group of women sewing a quilt on the porch of a property in Georgia, May 1939

From the Antebellum South to the Civil Rights Movement, Black American Women Have Long Told Their Stories Through Quilts

In a new exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery, over 30 works showcase the significance of this quilting tradition

William Henry Ellis traveled the world, made and lost millions, tried his hand at Texas politics, consulted with emperors, and met with the presidents of multiple countries.

Born Enslaved, This Black Millionaire Attempted to Colonize Mexico and Aspired to Be the Emperor of Ethiopia

William Henry Ellis masqueraded as a Mexican businessman, but he never shied away from his Black roots

A Harper's Weekly illustration of Confederate soldiers driving Black Americans south in 1862

After Confederate Forces Captured Their Children, These Black Mothers Fought to Reunite Their Families

During the Civil War, Confederates targeted free Black people in the North, kidnapping them to sell into slavery. After the conflict ended, two women sought help from high places to track down their lost loved ones

A view of the "In Slavery's Wake" exhibition at the National Museum of African American History and Culture

The Vast Geographic Scope of Slavery Is Hard to Fathom. One Groundbreaking Exhibition Shows Its True Scale Around the Globe

At the National Museum of African American History and Culture, "In Slavery's Wake" tells the international history of slavery and Black freedom

Atop Faneuil Hall sits a grasshopper weather vane, imitating a similar one on London’s Royal Exchange.

Why Faneuil Hall Is the Perfect Metaphor for the American Revolution's Complicated Definition of Liberty

How a lively market on Boston Harbor became part of many defining moments of the Colonial and Revolutionary eras

“In postwar America, fast food was seen as a ladder to the middle class,” says journalist and author Adam Chandler. “If you were part of a familiar chain, banks were willing to lend you money, and people would come to your establishment right away because you were a proven entity.”

The Roots of U.S. Work Culture—and Why the American Dream Is So Difficult to Achieve Today

A new book examines the evolution of the American workplace, interrogating the idea that hard work is enough to ensure success

A sketch of Solomon Northup from his memoir, Twelve Years a Slave

Solomon Northup's 'Twelve Years a Slave' Came to an End as He Regained His Long-Awaited Freedom on This Day in 1853

Northup’s memoir told the story of his kidnapping and years of enslavement in Louisiana. The book became a national best seller and inspired an Oscar-winning film

Harriet Bell Hayden 

The Remarkable Life of One of Boston's Most Fervent and Daring Abolitionists

Harriet Bell Hayden is believed to have helped hundreds of people fleeing slavery from her Beacon Hill residence

Major Pierce Butler, a U.S. senator representing South Carolina and an original signer of the United States Constitution, left the 1,500-acre rice plantation—and its enslaved laborers—to his grandsons when he died. For locals whose ancestors were forced to work there, it’s considered a sacred place.

Inside the Struggle to Preserve Georgia's Butler Island, Home to a Notorious Plantation

Descendants of people enslaved at the site are grappling with its complicated history while also honoring the region's rich culture

The Hermitage in Nashville is the former plantation of Andrew Jackson.

Archaeologists Discover Lost Burial Site of Enslaved People on President Andrew Jackson's Tennessee Plantation

An estimated 28 probable graves were identified at the seventh American president's former property, called the Hermitage

An 1812 illustration of a private from the Fifth West India Regiment. In the 1790s, the remaining members of the Carolina Corps became part of the newly established First West India Regiment.

These Black Soldiers Fought for the British During the American Revolution in Exchange for Freedom From Slavery

The Carolina Corps achieved emancipation through military service, paving the way for future fighters in the British Empire to do the same

Estimates of the number of Pacific Islanders captured by blackbirders and forced to work on cotton and sugar plantations in Fiji and Australia range from 61,610 to more than 100,000.

How 'Blackbirders' Forced Tens of Thousands of Pacific Islanders Into Slavery After the Civil War

The decline of the American South's cotton and sugar industries paved the way for plantations in British-controlled Fiji and Australia, where victims of "blackbirding" endured horrific working conditions

Broadway, New York City at the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. Union soldiers can be seen walking outside a recruiting station in the image's bottom right corner. 

The Shocking Moment When a Group of Confederate Spies Plotted—and Failed—to Burn Down New York City

Southern operatives tried to light New York businesses on fire and bring the Northern city to its knees on this date in 1864

Paul Mescal as Lucius Verus in Gladiator II, which tells a heavily fictionalized story of the joint reign of brothers Geta and Caracalla

The Real History Behind Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator II' and Life as a Fighter in the Ancient Roman Arena

The "Gladiator" sequel centers on Lucius Verus, the secret son of Russell Crowe's character from the 2000 film. Both men achieve fame as enslaved fighters driven by their desire for revenge

Rebecca Latimer Felton, photographed between 1909 and 1930

Meet the Woman Who Was the First Female Senator and the Last Senator to Be an Enslaver. She Served for Just One Day

Rebecca Felton was sworn in on this day, and despite her short time in power, her legacy reveals deep contradictions in American history

Archaeologists believe this area on Smith’s Island, in Bermuda, is where an early British colony flourished and helped sustain the settlers in Jamestown, Virginia.

The Hidden History of Bermuda Is Reshaping the Way We Think About Colonial America

New archaeological finds on the islands have revealed secrets about one of Britain’s first settlements in the Americas—and the surprising ways it changed the New World

Harriet Tubman served in several roles in the Union Army, becoming the first American woman to oversee military action in a time of war.

Harriet Tubman Just Became a One-Star General, More Than 150 Years After Serving With the Union Army

The celebrated Underground Railroad conductor received posthumous recognition for her service as a spy, scout, nurse and cook during the Civil War

Reflecting on Romare Bearden's art, playwright August Wilson wrote, “What I saw was Black life presented on its own terms, on a grand and epic scale, with all its richness and fullness.”

The Surprising Artwork That Inspired Netflix's 'The Piano Lesson,' a New Movie Based on August Wilson's Award-Winning Play

A Romare Bearden print served as a starting point for the American playwright's 1987 drama, which follows a Black family's struggle to decide the fate of an ancestral heirloom

Crews are restoring the building to its 18th-century appearance.

The Nation's Oldest Schoolhouse for Black Children Will Open to the Public Next Year

Work is underway to restore the Bray School, which will be dedicated in a ceremony on Friday. The historic building in Colonial Williamsburg will open its doors in the spring of 2025

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