The Formerly Enslaved Household of the Grant Family
Women are often overlooked in history for their role in the institution of slavery. First Lady Julia Dent Grant, wife...
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Women are often overlooked in history for their role in the institution of slavery. First Lady Julia Dent Grant, wife...
As we consider life in the President’s Neighborhood, the unusual story of the Wormley Hotel and its Black founder, Ja...
In 1818, John Gadsby was assessed and taxed for owning thirty-six enslaved individuals in Baltimore—including two young women named “Maria” and “K...
On April 21, 1789, John Adams took the oath of office to become the first Vice President of the United States. Over...
In the late eighteenth century, the original thirteen colonies dissolved and formed the United States. In 1787, delegates to the Constitutional...
On April 16, 1862, Congress passed the Compensated Emancipation Act, ending slavery in the District of Columbia and delivering long-awaited freedom to...
January 1, 1863 was a watershed moment in American history. That morning, President Abraham Lincoln hosted the annual New Year’s Day re...
Most Americans do not associate the first ladies with slave ownership. In fact, it may be surprising to learn that...
In 1868, Elizabeth (Lizzy) Hobbs Keckly (also spelled Keckley) published her memoir Behind the Scenes or Thirty Years a Slave, and...
Thomas Smallwood detailed the circumstances of his enslavement and life as a free Black man living in Washington City in...
Often, the accomplishments and contributions of enslaved people are lost to history—undocumented, ignored, or forgotten by successive generations. One of...
Born to an affluent family in 1790, John Tyler spent most of his life in Charles City County, Virginia. He was...