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

Arkansas Petition for Freedmen’s Rights

1869

Read a petition on behalf of formerly enslaved African Americans on indigenous territory requesting tribal citizenship and benefits.

Primary Source

Excerpts from the United States Constitution

1787

Read the three-fifths, transatlantic slave trade, and fugitive slave clauses, none of which explicitly referenced slavery or enslaved people.

Primary Source

A man wearing a white shirt and pants begins a handstand as a band plays in the background and others look on.

Two Depictions of Capoeira

ca. 1835/2017

View how capoeira has persisted in the culture of Brazil over nearly two hundred years.

Primary Source

Am I Not a Woman and a Sister?

ca. 1833

View this visual representation of a rallying cry for abolition among Black women.

Primary Source

The Roots in performance on stage at the House of Blues — band members include (left to right) a saxophonist, trumpeter, keyboardist, guitarist, vocalist (Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter, wearing a white shirt, jeans, sunglasses and a dark hat while holding a microphone), drummer (Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, behind the drum kit, wearing a black t-shirt), sousaphonist, and percussionist.

“Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around”

2012

Watch a modern performance of a classic song from the Black Freedom struggle.

Video

Joe Louis, a Black man wearing a light colored cardigan sweater and white polo shirt, next to Fidel Castro, a bearded Latino man wearing a dark coat and smoking a cigar held in his left hand.

Joe Louis and Fidel Castro

1960

View a photograph from the boxer’s trip to Havana with a delegation of African Americans in business.

Primary Source

Two Black women in military uniform (dark jackets, light shirts and ties, dark skirts and boots) looking on at two rows of other Black women in military uniform standing at attention.

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion

1945

View this photograph of Black women serving in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II.

Primary Source

A black-and-white photograph of James Brown, a Black man wearing a white shirt, sunglasses, a metal bracelet, and wristwatch waving as fans wave pieces of paper and look on in the distance.

The Origins and Elements of Hip-Hop

with Jeff Chang

Learn more about the genres, composers, and performers who developed the building blocks for what would become hip-hop.

Video

Photograph of a multi-buttoned drum machine and sampler. The machine consists of a black plastic box with a small screen in the upper left corner, multiple key pads, and a vertical design of black musical notes along the left, center and right of the box.

The Evolution of Hip-Hop and Breakdancing

with Jeff Chang

Explore the development of turntables, sampling, and breakdancing as key elements of hip-hop artistry and culture.

Video

Three boys playing atop the roof of a blue car, in front of an apartment building with graffiti written on the ground floor.

The Influence of the 1960s and 1970s on Hip-Hop

with Jeff Chang

Explore the importance of place and community on the development and growth of hip-hop in its earliest days.

Video

John Lewis, a Black man, wearing a dark jacket and tie and white shirt, speaking in front of two microphones on a table.

“The Revolution Is at Hand”

1963

Read the draft of John Lewis’s original planned speech for the March on Washington.

Primary Source

A page from a book focused on a title of legislation, "An Act for the Better Ordering and Governing of Negroes and Slaves."

South Carolina Slave Code

1740

Read excerpts from this slave code enacted in a British colony.

Primary Source

AP African American Studies Resource Library

Arkansas Petition for Freedmen’s Rights

1869

Excerpts from the United States Constitution

1787

Two Depictions of Capoeira

ca. 1835/2017

Am I Not a Woman and a Sister?

ca. 1833

“Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around”

2012

Joe Louis and Fidel Castro

1960

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion

1945

The Origins and Elements of Hip-Hop

with Jeff Chang

The Evolution of Hip-Hop and Breakdancing

with Jeff Chang

The Influence of the 1960s and 1970s on Hip-Hop

with Jeff Chang

“The Revolution Is at Hand”

1963

South Carolina Slave Code

1740

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