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Solomon Northup’s slave narrative, Twelve Years A Slave, achieved a remarkable degree of success as an abolitionist indictment against slavery. First published in 1853, three years after the Fugitive Slave Act, Northup’s narrative served as an important cultural symbol of slave life on southern plantations during antebellum America before the Civil War.
American poet Phillis Wheatley spent the majority of her life embroiled in a clash of cultures. Her poetry revealed much about colonial society in eighteenth century New England and its hierarchal relationships. As a Christian, a slave, a woman, a poet and an African, Wheatley experienced discrimination on several fronts. Her poetry gave insight into… MORE
Many United States history teachers struggle with how to teach and talk about slavery. Slavery was an all-encompassing facet of everyday American life and the political-economy for nearly four centuries; no course in United States history would be comprehensive without a critical dialogue about slavery. However, teaching slavery with nuance and sensitivity can sometimes feel challenging in diverse contemporary… MORE
Historian James M. McPherson of Princeton University is a Civil War expert. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his book, Battle Cry of Freedom and served as the President of the American Historical Association. In the video below, he discusses the aftermath of the American Civil War in a guest lecture at Stanford University in… MORE