Slavery

Shearith Torah

Why Religious Freedom and Diversity Flourished in Early America

Jam-packed exhibition features artifacts as diverse as Jefferson's Bible, a steeple bell cast by Paul Revere and a storied Torah

Josiah Wedgwood, of Wedgwood pottery fame, was also a staunch abolitionist and designed this medallion to further the cause.

This Anti-Slavery Jewelry Shows the Social Concerns (and the Technology) of Its Time

The 'Wedgwood Slave Medallion' was the first modern piece of protest jewelry

The hearth Hemings may have warmed herself by in Monticello's south wing.

Sally Hemings Gets Her Own Room at Monticello

A renovation at Thomas Jefferson's estate will give the slave he likely fathered at least six children with a display in what may have been her quarters

In traditional British cuisine, chicken would be far more likely to be boiled than fried.

The First Printed Fried Chicken Recipe in America

A white Virginian woman named Mary Randolph was the first to publish it, but fried chicken's Southern history is deeper than 'The Virginia Housewife'

Wearing white with a white headscarf to St. John's Eve is an important part of the celebration.

Voodoo Priestess Marie Laveau Created New Orleans’ Midsummer Festival

Mardi Gras may be the city's biggest party, but St. John's Eve is its most important religious festival

The only way Robert Smalls could ensure that his family would stay together was to escape.

The Thrilling Tale of How Robert Smalls Seized a Confederate Ship and Sailed it to Freedom

He risked his life to liberate his family and became a legend in the process

Hattie McDaniel was the first black actor to ever win an Oscar, but she was criticized for the roles she played.

What Hattie McDaniel Said About Her Oscar-Winning Career Playing Racial Stereotypes

Hattie McDaniel saw herself as a groundbreaker for black Americans

Howard in 1893 at Governor's Island

The Namesake of Howard University Spent Years Kicking Native Americans Off of Their Land

Oliver Otis Howard was a revered Civil War general—but his career had a dark postscript

Monument Avenue In Richmond, Virginia

What Richmond Has Gotten Right About Interpreting Its Confederate History

And why it hasn't faced the same controversy as New Orleans or Charlottesville

Savannah, Georgia during the Civil War. The southern landscape is often a key element of southern gothic fiction.

Why People Love Southern Gothic

From the 19th century to S-Town, it’s a compelling genre that’s as flawed as its most grotesque characters

First day of Memphis integration, TN by Dr. Ernest C. Withers, 1961

For Black Photographers, the Camera Records Stories of Joy and Struggle

The African American History Museum showcases for the first time signature photographs from its new collections

Belle Boyd in an image taken between 1855 and 1865.

Belle Boyd, Civil War Spy

The so-called “Siren of Shenandoah” stole weapons and carried letters in service to the Confederacy

A slave fortress in Cape Coast, Ghana

A Digital Archive of Slave Voyages Details the Largest Forced Migration in History

An online database explores the nearly 36,000 slave voyages that occurred between 1514 and 1866

What's the Difference Between Horns and Antlers and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Billie Holiday sung 'Strange Fruit' throughout her career after first performing the song in 1939.

Billie Holiday’s Label Wouldn’t Touch 'Strange Fruit'

The emotive song about lynching in the American South is both a classic and a warning

This illustration, depicting Uncle Tom's Cabin antagonist Simon Legree looming over, and perhaps preparing to beat, Tom, appeared in the 1853 edition of the book. Pro-slavery Southerners argued that the book misrepresented slavery by cherry-picking the worst examples.

White Southerners Said “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” Was Fake News

So its author published a “key” to what’s true in the novel

No images of Casor survive to the present day. Tobacco fields like this one, however, would have been what he saw daily.

The Horrible Fate of John Casor, The First Black Man to be Declared Slave for Life in America

Black people in early America weren't slaves. After this lawsuit, they could be

Over 400 men, women and children were sold on this day in 1859. It was the largest single sale of enslaved people in U.S. history but is barely talked about today.

The Horrors of the 'Great Slave Auction'

The largest sale of enslaved people ever to take place in the U.S. tore families apart

An 1851 map of the United States shows Texas and the New Mexico, Utah and Indian Territories.

For More Than 150 Years, Texas Has Had the Power to Secede…From Itself

A quirk of a 19th-century Congressional resolution could allow Texas to split up into five states

Why Is Pennsylvania Ave D.C.'s Main Thoroughfare and More Questions From Our Readers

Your questions answered by our experts

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