African American History
How to Separate Fact From Myth in the Extraordinary Story of Sojourner Truth
Two historians tell us why the pioneering 19th-century feminist, suffragist and abolitionist’s legacy has so frequently been misrepresented
Near the Site of the Gettysburg Address, These Black Civil War Veterans Remain Segregated, Even in Death
Denied burial alongside Union soldiers killed during the Battle of Gettysburg, the 30 or so men were instead buried in the all-Black Lincoln Cemetery
What a Teacher's Letters Reveal About Robert Smalls, Who Stole a Confederate Ship to Secure His Freedom From Slavery
Harriet M. Buss' missives home detail the future congressman's candid views on race and the complicity of Confederate women
The Remarkable Untold Story of Sojourner Truth
Feminist. Preacher. Abolitionist. Civil rights pioneer. Now the full story of the American icon's life and faith is finally coming to light
This Peaceful Nature Sanctuary in Washington, D.C. Sits on the Ruins of a Plantation
Before Theodore Roosevelt Island was transformed into a tribute to the nation's "conservation president," a prominent Virginia family relied on enslaved laborers to build and tend to its summer home there
How the Smithsonian Is Helping Black Americans Trace Their Roots
Free sessions hosted by the National Museum of African American History and Culture offer visitors advice on researching their genealogy
See Long-Lost Artifacts From Early Black Cinema
Now open in Detroit, "Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971" showcases nearly 200 rare props, posters, photographs and more
Who Stole—and Burned—This Jackie Robinson Statue?
Donations poured in to help replace the bronze statue, which a youth baseball nonprofit unveiled in 2021
The Real History Behind 'Masters of the Air' and the 100th Bomb Group
The long-awaited follow-up to "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific" centers on an American aerial group nicknamed the "Bloody Hundredth"
The Most Anticipated Museum Openings of 2024
Scheduled to launch this year are new institutions dedicated to astronomy, Nintendo and women artists
As Empires Clashed During World War I, a Global Media Industry Brought the Conflict's Horrors to the Public
An exhibition at LACMA traces the roots of modern media to the Great War, when propaganda mobilized the masses, and questions whether the brutal truths of the battlefield can ever really be communicated
A Brief History of the United States' Accents and Dialects
Migration patterns, cultural ties, geographic regions and class differences all shape speaking patterns
What Newly Digitized Records Reveal About the Tuskegee Syphilis Study
The archival trove chronicles the extreme measures administrators took to ensure Black sharecroppers did not receive treatment for the venereal disease
Twenty-Four Smithsonian Shows to See in 2024
Election-year items, truth serum, Nigerian art and a pioneering self-driving car are on display this year
What Genealogical Records Taught Me About My Family
For millions of enslaved people, bondage stole more than freedom—it severed a link to the past. Now their descendants are recovering their heritage
A Journey to Discover an African Homeland
New generations of Black Americans are taking intimate tours that connect them with the lands and cultures their ancestors were forced to leave behind
A New Project Uses Isotopes to Pinpoint the Birthplaces of the Enslaved
In South Carolina, members of the local Black community are teaming up with scientists to produce a novel study of the trans-Atlantic slave trade
How John Coltrane's 'My Favorite Things' Changed American Music
Looking back at the moment when one of our greatest jazzmen raised the stakes for everyone who came after
Unearth the Roots of Alice Walker’s ‘The Color Purple’
Gardeners discuss the oft-overlooked symbolism of nature that underlies the Pulitzer-prize winning novel
Federal Judge Allows Removal of Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery
The Defense Department had mandated that the monument be dismantled by January 1, 2024
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