Organizing for Freedom | APAAS

Organizing for Freedom

This section covers political thought, creativity, and action to dismantle the system of slavery in the United States before the American Civil War. Topics may include:
 


Image Source: Unidentified artist. “Washington, D.C.—the New Administration—Colored Citizens Paying Their Respects to Marshall Frederick Douglass, in His Office at the City Hall.” In Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, April 7, 1877. Engraving. Library of Congress.

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 as other people wait to greet him at left

  • Topics 2.18–2.22

AP African American Studies Guide

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Topic 2.18

Debates About Emigration, Colonization, and Belonging in America

Learning Objectives

Essentials

Learning Objectives

LO 2.18.A 

Explain how nineteenth-century emigrationists aimed to achieve the goal of Black freedom and self-determination.

LO 2.18.B

Explain how transatlantic abolitionism influenced anti-emigrationists’ political views about the potential for African Americans’ belonging in American society.

Essentials

Terms

  • Emigrationism
  • Sierra Leone
  • Anti-emigrationists

People

  • Dred Scott
  • Paul Cuffee (also spelled Cuffe)
  • Martin R. Delany
  • Frederick Douglass

Required Sources

You will need to understand and be able to use these materials for the AP exam.

Additional Resources

You can further develop your knowledge of this topic with primary and secondary sources.

Map of the Caribbean, focused on Haiti, with arrows noting migratory trends from North America to Haiti, l'Il-a-Vache, and Hispaniola.

Emigration to Haiti, 1820s–1860s

by Michael Siegel, Rutgers Cartography

Explore another emigration pathway, and an aftereffect of the Haitian Revolution, through this map.

  • Thematic Map
A map of the coast of Liberia, with the Atlantic Ocean appearing diagonally in the middle of the map.

The First Age of Reform

by Ronald G. Walters

Learn more about the debates related to colonization in the context of other antebellum reform movements.

  • Essay
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Featured Videos

These videos from Black History in Two Minutes (or So) feature condensed, engaging, and fact-packed stories.


You may know Frederick Douglass as one of the great abolitionists and authors. However, you may not know he was the most photographed American in the nineteenth century. Learn the full story.

Topic 2.19

Black Political Thought: Radical Resistance

Learning Objectives

Essentials

Learning Objectives

LO 2.19.A 

Describe the features of nineteenth-century radical resistance strategies promoted by Black activists to demand change.

Essentials

Terms

  • Radical resistance
  • Moral suasion

Required Sources

You will need to understand and be able to use these materials for the AP exam.

Cover of the 1830 pamphlet edition of Walker's Appeal ... to the Colored Citizens of the World printed in Boston

“Walker’s Appeal”

1829

Black abolitionist David Walker wrote a powerful pamphlet on the effects of enslavement on African Americans and what enslaved people should do to escape.

  • Primary Source

Additional Resources

You can further develop your knowledge of this topic with primary and secondary sources.

Tan and black cover of a pamphlet with the text "Oration, Delivered in Corinthian Hall, Rochester, by Frederick Douglass, July 5th, 1852"

Frederick Douglass Documents

with David W. Blight and Sandra Trenholm

Dive deeper into Douglass‘s “What, to the American Slave, Is Your 4th of July?” speech.

  • Video
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Resources from Our Partners

We have teamed up with New American History on interactive resources exploring America’s past and harnessing the power of digital media, curiosity, and inquiry.

Logo for Bunk History

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Comparing Editions of David Walker's Abolitionist Appeal

View different editions of a highly influential abolitionist text to learn about its evolution.

Explore Activity

Topic 2.20

Race to the Promised Land: Abolitionism and the Underground Railroad

Learning Objectives

Essentials

Learning Objectives

LO 2.20.A 

Describe the role and scale of the Underground Railroad in providing freedom-seeking routes.

LO 2.20.B

Explain the significance of Harriet Tubman’s contributions to abolitionism and African Americans’ pursuit of freedom.

Essentials

Terms

  • Underground Railroad
  • Fugitive Slave Acts
  • Combahee River raid

People

  • Harriet Tubman

Required Sources

You will need to understand and be able to use these materials for the AP exam.

Additional Resources

You can further develop your knowledge of this topic with primary and secondary sources.

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
Expand

Featured Videos

These videos from Black History in Two Minutes (or So) feature condensed, engaging, and fact-packed stories.


Learn about the life and career of Harriet Tubman


Take a closer look at the Underground Railroad.
 

Resources from Our Partners

We have teamed up with New American History on interactive resources exploring America’s past and harnessing the power of digital media, curiosity, and inquiry.

Logo for Bunk History

New American History Logo

Harriet Tubman’s Daring Civil War Raid

Read about Tubman’s role as the first American woman to lead a major military operation in this graphic history (comic).

Explore Activity

Topic 2.21

Legacies of Resistance in African American Art and Photography

Learning Objectives

Essentials

Learning Objectives

LO 2.21.A 

Explain the significance of visual depictions of African American leaders in photography and art during and after the era of slavery.

Essentials

Terms

  • Cartes-de-visite

People

  • Sojourner Truth
  • Frederick Douglass

Required Sources

You will need to understand and be able to use these materials for the AP exam.

Image Gallery: Photographs of Harriet Tubman Throughout Her Life

Harriet Tubman had photographs taken at several points during her life. Such photographs were copied onto cartes-de-visite and cabinet cards, which were given to friends and family or sold to the public. What choices did Tubman make about how to present herself in these photographs?

  • Carte-de-Visite Portrait of Harriet Tubman, 1868–1869
  • Matte Collodion Print of Harriet Tubman, 1871–1876
  • Albumen Print of Harriet Tubman, Circa 1908

Harriet Tubman, a Black woman, seated in an interior room. She is positioned slightly turned to the right and gazes off camera. Her right hand rests on the back of a wooden chair and her left hand rests in her lap. A boldly patterned carpet covers the floor and the wall or drop behind her is a blank light color. Tubman wears a black bodice that buttons at the center front and has dropped sleeves with heavy ruching and ruffled details on the sleeves.
Harriet Tubman, a Black woman, standing in an interior room setting. The full-length portrait shows Tubman facing the photographer in the middle of the frame with her hands resting on the back of an upholstered chair. Tubman wears a dark bodice with metal buttons at the center front and full-length fitted sleeves. A white ruffled lace collar is tied at her neck. Her ankle length skirt is full with gathers at the waist and a wide decorative fabric band around the skirt near the hem.
Harriet Tubman, a Black woman, wearing a dark headscarf covering her gray hair, a white scarf, and a dark jacket.

Additional Resources

You can further develop your knowledge of this topic with primary and secondary sources.

Featured Videos

These videos from Black History in Two Minutes (or So) feature condensed, engaging, and fact-packed stories.


Learn more about Sojourner Truth in this video.

Topic 2.22

Gender and Resistance in Slave Narratives

Learning Objectives

Essentials

Learning Objectives

LO 2.22.A 

Explain how enslaved women used methods of resistance against sexual violence.

LO 2.22.B

Explain how gender affected the genre and themes of slave narratives in the nineteenth century.

LO 2.22.C

Explain the impact of Black women’s enslavement narratives on political movements in the nineteenth century.

Essentials

Terms

  • Sexual abuse
  • Slave narratives

People

  • Dred Scott
  • Paul Cuffee (also spelled Cuffe)
  • Martin R. Delany
  • Frederick Douglass

Required Sources

You will need to understand and be able to use these materials for the AP exam.

Additional Resources

You can further develop your knowledge of this topic with primary and secondary sources.