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

A black-and-white photograph of seven men wearing wide-brimmed hats. To the right of the man third from left is a horse.

African Americans in the Seminole Nation

by Rachel Sarah O’Toole

Explore how maroons and self-emancipated people joined the Seminole community.

Essay

Etta Moten Barnett, a Black woman wearing a multicolored dress and white necklace, standing next to the metal gates in front of her house.

Etta Moten Barnett and Martin Luther King, Jr. in Ghana

1957

Hear from King during his visit to Ghana, in conversation with actress, musician, and journalist Etta Moten Barnett.

Primary Source

The Evolution of the Underground Railroad

with Christopher Bonner

Learn more about how the Underground Railroad operated and how the term for this means of escape from bondage emerged.

Video

Joe Biden, wearing a blue suit, blue dotted tie, and flag lapel pin, standing next to and listening to Opal Lee, a bespectacled Black woman wearing a white shirt and necklace.

Juneteenth: Exploring Freedom’s Stories

by Annenberg Classroom

Explore the history of Juneteenth, from its initial celebration following the Civil War through its enactment as a federal holiday.

Video

A White woman in a yellow dress and dark orange cape and a White man in a white and red shirt and blue and white striped pants, eating at a table. Behind them are two Black people: a woman in a white dress fanning the two seated White people, and a man, wearing a white collared shirt and orange sweater, arms crossed behind the seated White man. In front of the table are two naked Black children, one of whom is being fed by the White woman.

Slavery and Freedom in Brazil

with Reighan Gillam

Explore the pervasive nature of slavery in Brazil and the path to abolition.

Video

A newspaper advertisement announcing a procession of the African Lodge in Philadelphia in 1797

Free Black Organizations and Institutions

with Carla L. Peterson

Learn how free Black people established mutual aid societies and other institutions.

Video

Stipple portrait of James McCune Smith, a white-haired Black man with a mustache, wearing a dark jacket and bow tie

Free Black Neighborhoods Post-Emancipation

with Carla L. Peterson

Take a closer look at how free Black communities evolved after the Emancipation Proclamation and the Reconstruction Amendments.

Video

“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

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

AP African American Studies Resource Library

African Americans in the Seminole Nation

by Rachel Sarah O’Toole

Etta Moten Barnett and Martin Luther King, Jr. in Ghana

1957

The Evolution of the Underground Railroad

with Christopher Bonner

Juneteenth: Exploring Freedom’s Stories

by Annenberg Classroom

Slavery and Freedom in Brazil

with Reighan Gillam

Free Black Organizations and Institutions

with Carla L. Peterson

Free Black Neighborhoods Post-Emancipation

with Carla L. Peterson

“Negroes Who Obtained Freedom”

1781

Emancipation: Separating Myth from Fact

with Jeffrey Kerr-Ritchie

Freedom Days in American History

with Jeffrey Kerr-Ritchie

“Preamble and Articles of Association of Free African Society”

1787

“Articles of Association of the African Methodist Episcopal Church”

1796

Stay up to date and subscribe to our emails.