Slavery

Juneteenth celebration in 1900 at Eastwoods Park

Juneteenth: Our Other Independence Day

Two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, American slavery came to an end and a celebration of freedom was born

Irene Triplett's father, Mose, ran away from a Confederate military hospital days before the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg.

The Last Person to Receive a Civil War Pension Dies at Age 90

Irene Triplett, whose father defected from the Confederate Army and enlisted with the Union, collected $73.13 a month

When the Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, first saw the new image of Harriet Tubman (above, detail), she said: "She's young!"

Why Harriet Tubman’s Heroic Military Career Is Now Easier to Envision

The strong, youthful visage of the famed underground railroad conductor is the subject of the Portrait Gallery’s podcast “Portraits”

The men's remains, found in a 16th-century mass grave in Mexico City, bear signs of trauma and disease.

New Analysis Suggests These Three Men Were Among the First Africans Enslaved in the Americas

Buried in a mass grave in Mexico City, the trio may have been part of the first generation abducted from their homeland and brought to the New World

The Stenton House, circa 1865 to 1914

Philadelphia Will Memorialize Dinah, an Enslaved Woman Who Saved the City's Historic Stenton House in 1777

Currently in the works, the new monument will honor her contributions and legacy with a contemplative space

Matilda McCrear died in 1940 at the age of 81 or 82.

Researcher Identifies the Last Known Survivor of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Matilda McCrear was just 2 when she was captured and brought to Alabama on the "Clotilda"

A bronze statue of abolitionist Harriet Tubman is seen during a private viewing ahead of its unveiling at the Maryland State House, Monday, Feb. 10, 2020, in Annapolis.

Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass Honored With Statues in Maryland State House

Both historic figures were born into slavery in Maryland and went on to become key activists in the abolitionist movement

Jacob Lawrence, . . .again the rebels rushed furiously on our men. — a Hessian soldier, Panel 8, 1954, from Struggle: From the History of the American People, 1954-56

How Jacob Lawrence Painted a Radical History of the American Struggle

The Peabody Essex Museum is reuniting a series of paintings that explore the hidden stories of the nation's formative years

Eliza Parker sounds the alarm in Christiana, Pennsylvania

In 1851, a Maryland Farmer Tried to Kidnap Free Blacks in Pennsylvania. He Wasn't Expecting the Neighborhood to Fight Back

The archaeological excavation of an empty field yielded clues and reminders of an incredible uprising long buried from history

The top history movies of the decade include Spotlight, 12 Years a Slave and Hidden Figures.

What Were the Best History Movies of the Decade?

These ten films (plus one documentary) each took the past and translated it in a way worth remembering

Scenes From a Reenactment of a Slave Uprising

Earlier this year, a group of organizers led by a daring performance artist donned 19th-century clothes and recreated the 1811 revolt

By digging through archives, researchers can piece together the life stories of the millions of people who were enslaved in the Americas.

A Massive New Database Will Connect Billions of Historic Records to Tell the Full Story of American Slavery

The online resource will offer vital details about the toll wrought on the enslaved

An unknown photographer took this image of enslaved individuals on a cotton plantation around 1850.

This May Be the Earliest Known Image of Enslaved Individuals With Cotton

A remarkable daguerreotype was recently acquired by the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City

The Ten Best History Books of 2019

Our favorite titles of the year resurrect forgotten histories and help explain how we got to where we are today

Pack rats near their nest, or midden, in the City of Rocks National Reserve in Idaho.

From Ancient Seeds to Scraps of Clothing, Rats' Nests Are Full of Treasures

Material gathered and preserved in a pack rat's midden helps researchers open new windows on the past

A jar of soil collected at the site where George Peck was murdered in 1880 will join others on view at the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama

A Maryland Community Gathered to Remember the Lynching of George Peck

Montgomery County residents collected soil from the site where Peck was dragged to his death in 1880

Though she looms large in the public imagination, Harriet Tubman has rarely received the attention afforded to similarly iconic Americans. A new biopic starring Cynthia Erivo focuses on the decade between Tubman's escape and the end of her Underground Railroad days.

The True Story Behind the Harriet Tubman Movie

“Harriet,” a new film starring Cynthia Erivo, is the first feature film dedicated solely to the American icon

Thomas "Blind Tom" Wiggins (1849-1908), born blind and enslaved, was a musical prodigy who began performing as early as 6 years old.

The Tragic Story of America’s First Black Music Star

Thomas Wiggins, an African-American musician marketed as ‘Blind Tom’, had a lucrative career—but saw none of the profits himself

No image of Henrietta Wood survives today, but her story is recorded in court filings, including the verdict slip above.

In 1870, Henrietta Wood Sued for Reparations—and Won

The $2,500 verdict, the largest ever of its kind, offers evidence of the generational impact such awards can have

Markers will be added to the "Lion of Atlanta" monument, along with three others.

New Markers in Atlanta Aim to Put Confederate Monuments in Context

The city is installing the historical markers next to four of its most prominent Confederate memorials

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