AP African American Studies Resource Archive | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Obverse of coin with half-length bust of Ezanas right, crowned, holding stick or scepter, flanked by two wheat stalks, and Greek letters around the outside, the whole in a beaded circle

Aksumite Coin

340–400

Examine this coin and its representation of ancient Ethiopia as a trading hub.

Work of Art

A wide-mouthed brown earthenware jar with two handles and writing inscribed on the surface.

Storage Jar

1858

View this example of David Drake’s masterful pottery.

Work of Art

A large shallow, round tray shaped basket made of reeds, rush and palmetto coiled and woven together. A faded purple string is woven through the basket on one side and knotted inside the basket.

Rice Fanner Basket

pre-1863

View this artifact of rice cultivation by enslaved people on the South Carolina coast.

Primary Source

A cream quilted bedcover with appliqued red diamonds, circles, and crosses and edges bound with red

Cream and Red Appliqued Quilted Bedcover

ca. 1850

View this work of African American quilting.

Work of Art

A diagram showing bodies packed into a ship's hold

“Stowage of the British slave ship ‘Brookes’”

1788

View this diagram, which served as a catalyst for the antislavery movement.

Primary Source

Front page of the newspaper Freedom's Journal, March 30, 1827

“Our Claims Are on America”

1828

Read this excerpt from an oration by Thomas Jennings on Black identity.

Primary Source

A map of the African continent with arrows referencing the migration of Bantu peoples and languages

“The Bantu Migration, 2000 BCE–1500 CE”

by Mark Cartwright

See the extensive migration of Bantu peoples on the African continent.

Thematic Map

Map of the African continent, with colored ovals recognizing approximate geographic locations and periods of kingdoms and empires.

“Ancient & Medieval Sub-Saharan African States”

by Mark Cartwright

Visualize the approximate locations of various kingdoms and empires, including Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.

Thematic Map

Title page of My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass

“Treatment of Slaves on Lloyd’s Plantation”

1855

Read Frederick Douglass’s recollection of plantation life in Maryland from his second autobiography.

Primary Source

A black-and-white photograph of Robert Smalls, a goateed Black man, seated, wearing a dark jacket, bow tie, and vest (with pocket watch chain), and a white shirt.

Beyond the Battlefield: African American Contributions to the Civil War

with Elizabeth R. Varon

Learn more about the men, women, and children who contributed to the war effort through various means.

Video

Two African American men sitting in front of a tent, one with cigar and the other with a soup ladle.

African Americans and the Civil War

with Elizabeth R. Varon

Learn more about free and enslaved Africans’ contributions to the Union war effort.

Video

Black-and-white print of Black men, women, and children bundled in coats and shawls, unpacking a horse-drawn wagon in a snowy field, with leafless trees in the center midground and right background. A hut or cabin is in the left background, its roof and eaves covered with snow.

What Is the Underground Railroad?

with David W. Blight

Learn more about the Underground Railroad in this short video.

Video