Slavery
America’s Best New Restaurant Celebrates the Flavors of West Africa
The James Beard Award-winning Dakar NOLA is at the forefront of a generation of fine-dining establishments determined to educate foodies about the true origins of “Southern” cuisine
Ancestry Releases Records of 183,000 Enslaved Individuals in America
The genealogy company has digitized and published 38,000 newspaper articles from between 1788 and 1867—before Black Americans were counted as citizens in the U.S. census
Why Juneteenth, the U.S.'s Second Independence Day, Is a Federal Holiday
The celebration commemorates June 19, 1865, when a military decree informed the people of Texas that all enslaved people were free
These Chefs Are Elevating African and Caribbean Cuisines From Carryouts to Fine Dining
More Americans are eating and learning about dishes such as fufu and curried goat in establishments recognized by the highest echelon of the culinary world
Who Were the Real Pirates of the Caribbean?
During the Golden Age of Piracy, thousands of sea dogs sought fame and fortune. But the reality of a pirate's life was less enticing than movies and television shows suggest
Happy 400th Birthday to New Amsterdam, the Dutch Settlement That Became New York
In 1624, Dutch settlers arrived in Manhattan. Now, officials are marking the milestone with an honest examination of the past
This Play Within a Play Confronts the Power Dynamic Between Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson
In "Sally & Tom," Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks continues her investigation of American myths
This Museum Needs Your Help Identifying the Subject of a 19th-Century Painting
Nobody knows the name of the child in "The Black Boy," but a museum in Liverpool is hoping someone will recognize him
How the Memory of a Song Reunited Two Women Separated by the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
In 1990, scholars found a Sierra Leonean woman who remembered a nearly identical version of a tune passed down by a Georgia woman’s enslaved ancestors
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
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
A Brief History of How Carnival Is Celebrated Around the World
Here’s how Venice, Rio de Janeiro, Trinidad and Tobago, New Orleans, and Quebec City mark the pre-Lenten season
Monumental Sculpture Reimagines 'The Last Supper' With Black Historical Figures
Tavares Strachan's "The First Supper" took four years to sculpt and is now on display at an exhibition in London
Abraham Lincoln's Oft-Overlooked Campaign to Promote Immigration to the U.S.
A few weeks after the president delivered the Gettysburg Address, he called on Congress to welcome immigrants as a "source of national wealth and strength"
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
The Most Anticipated Museum Openings of 2024
Scheduled to launch this year are new institutions dedicated to astronomy, Nintendo and women artists
How Archaeologists Are Unearthing the Secrets of the Bahamas' First Inhabitants
Spanish colonizers enslaved the Lucayans, putting an end to their lineage by 1530
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
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