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

A black-and-white photograph of Carter G. Woodson, a Black man, wearing a dark jacket, white shirt, and polka-dotted tie

The Black Campus Movement and African American Studies

with Clarence Taylor

Explore how the field of African American Studies evolved and the first university departments in the field were formed.

Video

A black-and-white photograph of Sojourner Truth, seated, holding sewing materials in her hand; below her portrait is the phrase "I sell the shadow to support the substance."

Black Women’s Activism in Free Black Communities

with Carla L. Peterson

Learn how Black women such as Maria W. Stewart and Sojourner Truth organized for their communities.

Video

A color photograph of a blue historical marker with yellow text for the Free African Society, in front of a gray stone building.

“Preamble and Articles of Association of Free African Society”

1787

Explore the founding document of Philadelphia's Free African Society, only the second Black mutual aid society in the country.

Primary Source

A bronze statue of Richard Allen, a Black man, wearing a jacket, vest, and ruffled collar shirt, with his right arm outstretched. Behind the statue is a brick church building to the right of a stone church building.

“Articles of Association of the African Methodist Episcopal Church”

1796

Explore the founding document of the AME’s Mother Church in Philadelphia.

Primary Source

Prince Demah’s signature and a blotted-out seal on heavy cloth paper.

Last Will and Testament of Prince Demah

1778

Read this final record from Demah’s life and career.

Primary Source

James Baillie's 1845 color lithograph depicting the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, with American and French officers lined up on the left and right to receive the arms of the British army in 1781.

Preamble to “A Sermon on the Capture of Lord Cornwallis”

1782

Read the dedication that introduces this sermon, the first recorded use of the term “African American.”

Primary Source

A Black soldier in a blue Union Army uniform (jacket, coat, pants, and hat), holding a rifle on his right shoulder with a slight smile on his face.

Historical Context: Black Soldiers and Sailors in the Civil War

by Steven Mintz

Get some key facts on Black service during the Civil War.

Teacher Resources

A broadside with the title "Under Decree in Equity. Sanders v. Sanders, et al." with list of enslaved people and their ages, and handwritten notes throughout

Broadside for an Auction of Enslaved Persons at the Charleston Courthouse

1859

Explore the domestic slave trade through this document listing names and ages.

Primary Source

A printed page from the newspaper The Freeman's Journal, September 21, 1781.

“Negroes Who Obtained Freedom”

1781

Read a plea from free Black people in Philadelphia to protect their freedom.

Primary Source

Detail from a multicolored map depicting enslaved population by county in the South, along with government farms and camps set up by the Union Army during the Civil War.

Emancipation: Separating Myth from Fact

with Jeffrey Kerr-Ritchie

Break down common misconceptions about the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment in this video.

Video

A black-and-white photograph of a Black man wearing a dark top hat and suit riding a horse leading a procession including a band of musicians down a dirt road

Freedom Days in American History

with Jeffrey Kerr-Ritchie

Learn more about the long history of celebrating emancipation, from January 1, to August 1, to Juneteenth.

Video