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

A black-and-white photograph of President Abraham Lincoln, seated, with his head resting on his upraised left hand

Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation

1809–1870

This timeline traces Abraham Lincoln’s evolution from antislavery advocate to emancipator in the context of international events.

Interactive

A multicolored, multi-panel print with various people and vignettes on the theme of celebrating the Fifteenth Amendment's ratification.

The Fifteenth Amendment Celebrated: An In-Depth Exploration

1870

Explore a lithograph commemorating the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment.

Interactive

A black-and-white photograph of Frederick Douglass, a Black man in his fifties with graying hair and a serious demeanor staring straight into the camera

Frederick Douglass from Slavery to Freedom: The Journey to New York City

1818–1845

Follow the story of Frederick Douglass and his journey from slavery to freedom in New York City.

Interactive

A printed broadside announcing a "$2,500 REWARD!" for freedom seekers. On each side of "$2,500" are hands with index fingers pointing toward the dollar value.

Runaway Slave Ad

1852

Explore an example of broadsides developed to find and capture self-emancipated people.

Primary Source

A handwritten letter in cursive on lined paper

“I love you but hate slavery”

ca. 1860

Read Frederick Douglass’s letter to his former owner, searching for information about his birth date.

Primary Source

A handwritten legal document for the posting of a bond for the manumission of the slave Ann.

A bond for the manumission of an enslaved woman

1757

View and develop an understanding of this manumission bond.

Primary Source

An open book with an engraved portrait of Olaudah Equiano, a Black man in distinguished eighteenth-century clothing and, on the right, the title page of his autobiography, "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano."

“The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano”

1789

Learn from Olaudah Equiano about his experience being kidnapped at age eleven and surviving the Middle Passage.

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

Scan of a book page with the text of a law passed in Virginia in 1662.

Study Aid: Slavery and the Law in Seventeenth-Century Virginia

1662–1691

Explore a timeline of laws pertaining to slavery in Virginia from 1662 to 1691.

Teacher Resources

A black and white etching of Haitian revolutionaries fighting French soldiers.

Connections Between the American and Haitian Revolutions

by Laurent Dubois

Understand the relationship between the Haitian Revolution and American Revolution.

Essay

An engraving of a white-haired Frederick Douglass standing at a desk, wearing a dark jacket and waistcoat, dark bow tie, and white shirt and pants, shaking the hand of another Black man wearing a white shirt, as others wait to greet him at left

Frederick Douglass: From Slavery to Freedom

by Steven Mintz

Read about Frederick Douglass from his childhood and youth as an enslaved person and his legacy as a leading abolitionist and equal rights advocate.

Essay

The sign for The Crossroads, featuring a ring of three blue guitars (each facing a different direction) on the bottom and the highways 61 and 49 signs above.

Clarksdale: Myth, Music, and Mercy in the Mississippi Delta

by Shelley Ritter

Read about musician Muddy Waters, the blues, and the historical exhibits at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Essay

AP African American Studies Resource Library

Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation

1809–1870

The Fifteenth Amendment Celebrated: An In-Depth Exploration

1870

Frederick Douglass from Slavery to Freedom: The Journey to New York City

1818–1845

Runaway Slave Ad

1852

“I love you but hate slavery”

ca. 1860

A bond for the manumission of an enslaved woman

1757

“The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano”

1789

Historical Context: Black Soldiers in the Civil War

by Steven Mintz

Study Aid: Slavery and the Law in Seventeenth-Century Virginia

1662–1691

Connections Between the American and Haitian Revolutions

by Laurent Dubois

Frederick Douglass: From Slavery to Freedom

by Steven Mintz

Clarksdale: Myth, Music, and Mercy in the Mississippi Delta

by Shelley Ritter

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