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

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

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

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 in the Civil War

by Steven Mintz

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

Teacher Resources

AP African American Studies Resource Library

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

Black Women’s Activism in Free Black Communities

with Carla L. Peterson

“Preamble and Articles of Association of Free African Society”

1787

“Articles of Association of the African Methodist Episcopal Church”

1796

Historical Context: Black Soldiers in the Civil War

by Steven Mintz

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