BBC
Bbc: Slave Island New York's Hidden History
A fascinating article that examines the discovery in 1991 of a large Negro burial ground in lower Manhatten. The African American cemetery was used during the 18th century. Archived.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Harcourt: Biographies: Sojourner Truth
Learn of Sojourner Truth's eventful life from runaway slave to advocate for freedom and fairness. She was the first African American woman to speak out against slavery in public. She continued her quest for fairness by being a...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Harcourt: Biographies: Sojourner Truth
Learn about Sojouner Truth's eventful life from runaway slave to advocate for freedom and fairness. The first African American woman to speak out against slavery in public. (In Spanish)
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: The Supreme Court: Landmark Cases: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
PBS features a summary of the landmark Supreme Court case of Dred Scott v. Sanford which ruled that African Americans are not American citizens, and therefore could not sue in federal court. Decision written by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney.
Digital History
Digital History: The Controversial Dred Scott Decision [Pdf]
The Dred Scott case was a test case on whether African-Americans, whether free or slave, had any rights. Find out what led up to this controverisal decision, and read the reasoning of the majority opinion as expressed by Chief Justice...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Booker T. Washington
Booker T. Washington was an African-American visionary. Read about his embrace of education as a way to lift up blacks in the racist South, but see how some of his views found opposition in the black community.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1844 1877: Reconstruction: Black Codes
Discusses the Black Codes that white Southerners imposed on African Americans after the Civil War and the efforts by Republican politicians to protect their rights.
University of Missouri
Famous Trials: Stamped With Glory: Lewis Tappan and the Africans of the Amistad
Read about Lewis Tappan, "an abolitionist and devout Christian," and his participation with the Amistad trial. Providing detailed information and original documents, this is an excellent resource on Tappan and his efforts to expedite...
A&E Television
Biography: James Armistead (C. 1748 C. 1830)
Biography of James Armistead [Lafayete] who was born into slavery in Virginia and later became a famous American spy during the War for Independence.
Scholastic
Scholastic: New York Times Upfront: The Civil War: Ten Things You Should Know
Article written on the 150th anniversary of Fort Sumter, the beginning of the American Civil War, in which the author presents little known Civil War facts about topics such as, Americans during that time, slavery, new technologies,...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Elijah Mc Coy
According to this article, Elijah McCoy (1844-1929 CE) is one of the most prolific inventors in American history. Read about his parents who escaped slavery by traveling on the Underground Railroad and about his invention, the automatic...
US National Archives
Our Documents: Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
Image of handwritten copy of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, accompanied by an explanation of the speech's purpose, impact, and role in American history.
Other
Juneteenth.com: History of Juneteenth
Juneteenth.com discusses what Juneteenth is, its history, and its celebration. Content includes a look at why June 19, 1865, signifies the end of slavery in America, as opposed to Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863.
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Colonial Williamsburg: The Two Williamsburgs
This lesson plan on daily life in Colonial Williamsburg challenges students to compare and contrast the lives of the African and European populations.
John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: Harriet Tubman: Secret Messages Through Song
This ArtsEdge lesson, part of a larger unit about Harriet Tubman, not only teaches students about spirituals but effectively illustrates the struggle for freedom from slavery.
A&E Television
History.com: How Black Women Fought for Civil War Pensions and Benefits
In a time when military pensions were a large part of the federal budget, Black women faced unique challenges in securing compensation. Widows of Civil War soldiers could begin applying to the Bureau of Pensions during the war, and one...
iCivics
I Civics: Civil War & Reconstruction
The Civil War and Reconstruction Era brought about the end of slavery and the expansion of civil rights to African Americans through the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Compare the Northern and Southern states, discover the concepts of...
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: Black Emancipators of the 19th Century
A lesson unit on the people and movements that fought to abolish slavery. Looks at the Triangular Trade, and at the Underground Railroad and famous abolitionists. Includes a play about emancipation, a black history rap and a trivia quiz...
Texas State Historical Association
Texas State Historical Association: Civil Rights
An overview of the state and progress of civil rights in the state of Texas since its emancipation from slavery in 1865.
South Carolina Educational Television
Etv: Artopia: Painting Critic: The Life of John Brown, No. 11 by Jacob Lawrence
A painting of antislavery fighter John Brown leading an attack on horseback against settlers who supported slavery. Provides a short biography of the artist, Jacob Lawrence, questions about the painting for students to answer, and an...
Other
Juneteenth: The Middle Passage
Moving description of the Middle Passage and African American trauma through the perspective of the artist, Tom Feelings.
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Phillis Wheatley
Despite spending much of her life enslaved, Phillis Wheatley was the first African American woman to publish a book of poems.
Curated OER
Early Anti Slavery Publication, a Sermon by Jonathan Edwards, Jr.
This site, which is provided for by the Library of Congress, is part of the African American Mosaic. It describes abolition and gives references to books about the topic.
Curated OER
Minutes of Early Anti Slavery Meeting
This site, which is provided for by the Library of Congress, is part of the African American Mosaic. It describes abolition and gives references to books about the topic.