African American History
Where’s the Debate on Francis Scott Key’s Slave-Holding Legacy?
During his lifetime, abolitionists ridiculed Key’s words, sneering that America was more like the “Land of the Free and Home of the Oppressed”
Five Things to Know About Pullman Porters
As the oldest Pullman porters die, it's time to reflect on the proud legacy of these African-American workers
These Abandoned Buildings Are the Last Remnants of Liberia's Founding History
The world created by former slaves in Liberia was a cruel paradox for more than 150 years
American Exiles: Leaving Home
A series of three photo essays explores how America has treated its own people in times of crisis
Solving a Neighborhood Mystery Reveals Forgotten African-American History
An abandoned lot in San Antonio turned out to be an important part of the city's story
After 52 Years, the "Mississippi Burning" Case Closes
The Department of Justice and State of Mississippi close the investigation of three civil rights workers killed by KKK members in 1964
The Revolutionary War Patriot Who Carried This Gunpowder Horn Was Fighting for Freedom—Just Not His Own
Simbo, an African-American patriot, fought for his country's liberty and freedom even as a large population remained enslaved
This Segregated Railway Car Offers a Visceral Reminder of the Jim Crow Era
Subtle and not-so-subtle reminders of a time when local and state laws forced racial segration
How One Woman Helped End Lunch Counter Segregation in the Nation’s Capital
Mary Church Terrell’s court case demanded the district’s “lost laws” put an end to racial discrimination in dining establishments
Headgear Fit for a Champion: What Muhammad Ali Left Behind
The boxer may be dead, but physical traces of his audacious life remain
Studying Bacon Has Led One Smithsonian Scholar to New Insights on the Daily Life of Enslaved African-Americans
At Camp Bacon, a thinking person’s antidote to excess, historians, filmmakers and chefs gather to pay homage to the hog and its culinary renown
Five Times the United States Officially Apologized
These are a few instances where the U.S. admitted it had done wrong
A Long-Lost Manuscript Contains a Searing Eyewitness Account of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921
An Oklahoma lawyer details the attack by hundreds of whites on the thriving black neighborhood where hundreds died 95 years ago
Dozens of Rare Documents From American History Just Sold at Auction
Original copies of the 13th Amendment and the Emancipation Proclamation just sold for millions
An Archive of Fugitive Slave Ads Sheds New Light on Lost Histories
Wanted ads posted by slave owners reveal details of life under slavery
To Really Appreciate Louis Armstrong's Trumpet, You Gotta Play it. Just Ask Wynton Marsalis
It’s not always the white-glove treatment; some artifacts live on through performance
This Powerful Stokely Carmichael Portrait Never Made It to the Cover of Time Magazine
The artwork, by famed artist Jacob Lawrence, captured the turning point in the Civil Rights Movement
Come Inside the New African American History Museum (Photos)
Take a peek behind the scenes to see how curators, architects and designers are prepping for the museum's historic opening
The Priceless Impact Harriet Tubman Will Have as the Face of the $20 Bill
Curator Nancy Bercaw from the African American History Museum discusses the freedom fighter's ongoing legacy
'Unbought and Unbossed': When a Black Woman Ran for the White House
The congresswoman tried to win the White House by consolidating the Black vote and the women's vote, but she ran into trouble
Page 47 of 52