Slavery
Slavery was widely practiced throughout the ancient world, and the exploitation of enslaved Africans fueled the growth and economies of the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. After the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence promised liberty for all men, but did not end slavery. Conflict over the institution eventually drove the young nation into civil war.
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From the role of women to its global scope, here are some lesser-known facts about the transport and enslavement of African people.
In navigating lives of privation and brutality, enslaved people haggled, often daily, for liberties small and large.
From elaborate disguises to communicating in code to fighting back, enslaved people found multiple paths to freedom.
Debate over the Wilmot Proviso inflamed North-South divisions ahead of the Civil War.
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman: Soldier/Spy
Harriet Tubman, former slave, is known for her role in the underground railroad, but did you know she served in the union army as a soldier and a spy?
3 Famous Abolitionists
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How Enslaved People Observed Ramadan in Secret
Celebrating Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, but continuing that ritual wasn't always easy, especially for slaves in the New World.
Harriet Tubman's Christmas Eve Rescue
In 1854, Harriet Tubman helped her brothers and their families escape slavery on Christmas Day before they were sold.
Slavery and the Presidency
Slavery is a central paradox of much of American history. In fact, most of the country's founding fathers owned slaves.
Slavery in America was the institution of enslaving human beings and became the main cause behind the country's Civil War.
For some, it was a rare time of respite; for others, an opportunity for resistance.
The widely circulated image of the enslaved man's wounds helped turn white Northerners against slavery.
Underground Railroad
Born a slave, Harriett Tubman became a famous "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, leading hundreds of slaves to freedom.
John Brown's Harpers Ferry
John Brown's failed attempt to loot the armory at Harper's Ferry sparks the beginning of abolition.
Civil War Culture
America is at the brink of a Civil War as cotton spreads west and threatens to expand slavery into new territories.
Lincoln Abolishes Slavery with the 13th Amendment
Lincoln develops and enacts a permanent plan to abolish slavery, in this clip from Season 1, "Saving the Union."
Life Aboard a Slave Ship
Life aboard the ship was agonizing and dangerous; nearly 2 million enslaved Africans would perish on their journey across the Atlantic.
From a man who mailed himself to freedom to a husband and wife team of impostors, learn the true stories behind five of American history’s most audacious escapes from slavery.
The 1839 mutiny, led by an African rice farmer known as Cinqué, galvanized the abolitionist movement.
Just two years after the famed Amistad revolt, a mutiny rerouted the slaving brig Creole into British territory, where human bondage was illegal.
'Cargo' was delivered to the southern states and the West Indies, but much of the shipping originated in New York City—in the abolitionist North.
Gateway to Freedom: The Underground Railroad
Professor Eric Foner discusses key people and events in the history of the Underground Railroad.
