Explore this interactive American flag which was originally made by hand in 1813 by Mary Pickersgill. Find out about its history by selecting the hotspots and learn about preservation plans for future generations.
Category Archives: The Move Toward Freedom
The Underground Railroad: Escape from Slavery
The Underground Railroad was a secret network of safe houses and people who helped slaves to freedom. Using this online interactivity, step back to 1860 and experience life as a young slave as he flees a Kentucky plantation for a long and dangerous journey to Canada.
Children on the Battlefield
How did younger boys get around the legal age limitations to join the army in the Civil War? What roles did the boys carry out when enlisted? How did they fit into camp life amongst the older soldiers, and what impact did the battleground have on these young lives?
The American Civil War Then and Now
One hundred and fifty years after the Civil War, Guardian photographer David Levene photographed the battle sites. Here the photos are superimposed with images taken during the war. Accompanied with audio, they help visualize the reality of the war. Have you visited any of these sites or others?
Frederick Douglass’ Take on Independence Day
Listen to a discussion of Frederick Douglass’ famous speech which criticized the celebration of Independence Day celebrations in a time of slavery.
Harriet Tubman Wins Unofficial Vote to Be on $20 Bill
With more than 33 percent of ballots cast in an online poll, Harriet Tubman emerged as the face that people want to see on a new $20 bill.
Who Was Edmund Pettus?
Just who was Edmund Pettus, and why was the famous bridge in Selma named for him? Find out here.
Richmond will fall again for 150th anniversary
Read about a four-day commemoration in Richmond, V.A. which will mark the 150th anniversary of the fall of the Confederacy’s capital on April 3, 1865.
Words From the Past Illuminate a Station on the Way to Freedom
A new book from Eric Foner, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, based on the discovery of journals containing interviews with fugitive slaves, sheds light on how the Underground Railroad really worked. Read about it here.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
In 1833, Harriet Beecher Stowe witnessed the brutality of slavery on her first trip to the South. What she saw changed her and led to her writing her famous anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, in 1852. Listen to a discussion about her legacy here.
John Brown’s Day of Reckoning
Read about controversial abolitionist John Brown and the violent raid he and his men launched on a federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, 150 years ago; it set the stage for the Civil War.
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
You can read, watch, and listen to materials on the seven debates that took place between Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln during the 1858 Illinois state election campaign. The prize was a seat in the Senate, but the debates mainly focused on the important and contentious issue of slavery.
Maryland lawmakers asked to revisit vote for slavery
Before the Civil War broke out, Maryland approved a so-called “shadow” 13th Amendment that made it impossible for the federal government to abolish slavery. Now, Maryland lawmakers want to re-vote on the amendment to clean up the historical record.
The Revised Dred Scott Case Collection: History of Dred Scott
This page offers a brief history of Dred Scott’s fight for his family’s freedom. Read the overview of Scott’s case and then explore the rest of the collection to learn more about how and why the Dred Scott decision came to be such a landmark case in American judicial history.
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass’s contributions to the fight for freedom are beyond measure. This article and video provide a brief overview of some of the ways in which Douglass helped shape the course of our nation’s history.
150 Years Later, Newspaper Retracts Gettysburg Address Diss
President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is one of the most influential speeches in our nation’s history. It’s hard to believe, but when it was first delivered in 1863, one newspaper wrote that the speech was nothing more than “silly remarks.” Now, more than 150 years later, the paper has apologized for its dismissive words.
“I Will be Heard!”: Abolitionism in America
Americans known as abolitionists played a crucial part in the fight to end slavery in the United States. This site offers a wealth of information about abolitionists and their cause as well as art and personal narratives from former slaves.
Where opera & abolitionist heroine Harriet Tubman meet
When composer Nkeiru Okoye was a young girl, her mother shared stories about Harriet Tubman. Now, Okoye is paying tribute to Tubman with a folk opera that shows audiences Tubman’s life, both in slavery and in freedom.
Groundbreaking Slavery Exhibit Opens at Tennessee State Museum
A new exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum attempts to reconstruct the lives of slaves and slaveholders to give a better understanding of that time in history.