Videos

In part four of Books that Shaped America, historian, author, and Howard University professor Edna Greene Medford explored the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the first autobiog…

Historians discussed President Abraham Lincoln’s views and policies on race and examined letters and petitions written by African Americans to the 16th president. This program was part of th…

On June 19, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger announced the end of legalized slavery in Texas. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed explained the significance of Junet…

Historians discussed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act of April 16, 1862. The act freed about 3,100 slaves in the nation’s capital and compensated owners up to $300 for e…

Panelists talked about the role of religion in the lives of African Americans. “What is African American Religion?” was a session of “The Future of the African American Past,” a conferenc…

Professor Edna Greene Medford talked about her book, Lincoln and Emancipation. “Undeclared Partners for Freedom: Lincoln, African Americans and the Emancipation Struggle” was part of the …

Professor Edna Greene Medford talked about the experiences of freed slaves in the years following the Civil War. She said economic independence, education, and political rights were key aspi…

Pastors, historians, church choirs, and an actor portraying abolitionist Frederick Douglass reflected on the 150th anniversary of the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished sla…

Historian James Oakes talked about his book, The Scorpion’s Sting: Antislavery and the Coming of the Civil War, in which he examines a plan intended to produce a peaceful end to slavery prio…

Howard University History Department Chair Edna Greene Medford talked about the establishment, challenges, enlistment, and service of the United States Colored Troops during the U.S. Civil W…

A statue of abolitionist, author, and statesman Frederick Douglass was unveiled and dedicated in Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. The ceremony included invocations, colo…

Edna Greene Medford moderated a panel discussion on revelations from the study of African-American burial grounds. The panelists also responded to questions from members of the audience. “Af…

Panelists discussed President Lincoln’s timing of the release of the Emancipation Proclamation. They focused on the legal grounding for the proclamation and what it accomplished. The panelis…

Professor Mark Graber talked about the Dred Scott case and its impact on the law and American history. Archival video clips of current Supreme Court Justices commenting on the Dred Scott cas…