PBS
Inside the African American studies class praised by some and fiercely opposed by others
The school year is coming to a close and with it, the first year of Advanced Placement African American studies, an interdisciplinary class by the College Board that has attracted praise from professors and also fierce opposition from...
Crash Course
The Louisiana Rebellion of 1811 Crash Course Black American History
Uprisings of enslaved people in the United States were not uncommon, and they had a big influence on how the institution of slavery evolved. One uprising that gets less attention, historically, is the German Coast Uprising that took...
Crash Course
Crash Course Black American History Preview
Over the course of 50 episodes, we're going to learn about Black American History. Clint Smith will to teach you about the experience of Black people in America, from the arrival of the first enslaved Black people who arrived at...
Crash Course
The Germantown Petition Against Slavery Crash Course Black American History
In 1688, in Pennsylvania, a group of four men created the Germantown Petition, which made the case that slavery was immoral, and that it was inconsistent with Christian beliefs in general, and Quaker beliefs specifically. While the...
Crash Course
The Black Women's Club Movement Crash Course Black American History
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Black American Women were struggling with both racism and misogyny as they fought for their rights. Black Women formed clubs and organized to make sure civil and political rights were extended...
Crash Course
Slave Codes Crash Course Black American History
Slave codes were a method of protecting the investment of white enslavers in the Colonies by restricting the lives of enslaved people in almost every imaginable way. The codes restricted enslaved people’s ability to move around, or...
Crash Course
Frederick Douglass Crash Course Black American History
Clint Smith teaches you about one of the most famous writers, orators, and advocates of the 19th century, Frederick Douglass. Douglass was born in slavery, escaped to the North, and became one of the most influential people of his time....
Crash Course
Maria Stewart Crash Course Black American History
Clint Smith teaches you about Maria Stewart, a Black woman who lived in the 19th century, and was a pioneering abolitionist, writer, and orator. When studying history, we often focus on the big picture and world-changing events. Today...
Crash Course
Reconstruction Crash Course Black American History
At the end of the Civil War, the United States was still a very divided place. 700,000 people had died in a bitter fight over slavery. Reconstruction was the political process meant to bring the country back together. It was also the...
Crash Course
Phillis Wheatley Crash Course Black American History
Despite all the hardship of being a Black person in Colonial America, some Black people were able to defy the harsh conditions and create art. Today we're learning about a teenager who attained literacy and wrote poems that reached a...
Crash Course
Elizabeth Key Crash Course Black American History
The legal system can seem like a complicated tangle of arcane rules and loopholes, and it can sometimes seem like it is designed to confuse. But it is possible, with the right application, for the legal system to rectify injustices....
Crash Course
Plessy v Ferguson and Segregation Crash Course Black American History
The United States' Constitution is not a very detailed document. It lays out the basic structure of government, and the details are filled in with legislation, and clarified and reinforced by court decisions. One of the most...
Crash Course
The Dred Scott Decision Crash Course Black American History
In this video, we'll learn about the US Supreme Court decision in Scott vs Sanford, handed down in 1857. The case ultimately rejected the idea that Black people could be citizens of the United States, and this helped entrench the...
Crash Course
Shirley Chisholm: Crash Course Black American History #43
In 1972, Shirley Chisholm ran for president of the United States of America as a Democrat. She didn't win, but this was not the beginning or the end of her career in politics. She held a congressional seat in the New York delegation for...
TED-Ed
Debunking the myth of the Lost Cause: A lie embedded in American history | Karen L. Cox
In the 1860's, 11 southern states withdrew from the United States and formed the Confederacy. They seceded in response to the growing movement for the nationwide abolition of slavery. Yet barely a year after the Civil War ended, southern...
Crash Course
The Underground Railroad Crash Course Black American History
Escape was one of the many ways that enslaved people resisted their captivity in the system of American slavery. The Underground Railroad was not literally a railroad. It was a network of people, routes, and safe houses that helped...
Crash Course
Ida B. Wells Crash Course Black American History
In this video, we'll learn about the life story of journalist, orator, teacher, suffragette, and anti-lynching activist Ida B. Wells-Barnett. Ida B. Wells made her name writing and speaking and working to improve the lives of Black...
Crash Course
The Transatlantic Slave Trade Crash Course Black American History
Today we're learning about the Transatlantic Slave Trade, which brought millions of captive Africans to the Americas between the 16th and 19th centuries, with the largest number of people trafficked between 1700 and 1808. We'll look at...
Crash Course
Slavery in the American Colonies Crash Course Black American History
In the 17th century, as the British colonies in the Americas were getting established in places like Jamestown, VA, the system of chattel slavery was also developing. Today, we'll learn about the role that slavery played in early...
Crash Course
The American Revolution Crash Course Black American History
When we talk about the American Revolution and Revolutionary War, the discussion often involves lofty ideals like liberty, and freedom, and justice. The Declaration of Independence even opens with the idea that "all men are created...
Curated Video
The Great Migration Crash Course Black American History
In 1910, 90% of Black Americans lived in the South. By 1940, around 1.5 million Black Americans had left their homes, and 77% lived in the South. By 1970, 52% of Black Americans remained in the South. People moved away for many reasons,...
Crash Course
The Rise of Cotton Crash Course Black American History
Cotton is everywhere in our modern world, and it became a hugely important crop in the 19th century United States. Cotton was a huge economic boon to the US, and much of that wealth was built on the backs of enslaved laborers. And cotton...
Crash Course
The Stono Rebellion Crash Course Black American History
Enslaved people resisted their condition in a range of different ways. Oftentimes those ways were small and personal. There were also times when that resistance took on larger, more dramatic forms, like with slave uprisings and...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How one journalist risked her life to hold murderers accountable - Christina Greer
Ida B. Wells was an investigative journalist, civil rights leader, and anti-lynching advocate who fought for equality and justice. -- In the late 1800’s, lynchings were happening all over the American South, often without any...