May 21, 1796: Ona Judge Escapes Enslavement by President George Washington
Ona Judge escaped enslavement by U.S. President George Washington.
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Period: 1765
Revolution & Constitution: 1765 – 1799
Dec. 15, 1791: Bill of Rights Ratified
The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, known as the United States Bill of Rights, were ratified.
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Jan. 13, 1777: Petition for Freedom in Massachusetts
A group of African Americans presented a petition for freedom to the Massachusetts Council and the House of Representatives.
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Feb. 14, 1783: Belinda Sutton Petitions for a Pension as Reparations
Belinda Sutton petitioned the Massachusetts legislature for a pension as reparations for the wealth she produced and was stolen from her while she was enslaved.
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Aug. 22, 1781: Elizabeth Mumbet Freeman Secures Her Freedom
Elizabeth Mumbet Freeman won her freedom after she got an attorney and filed a “freedom suit” under the 1780 State Constitution for Massachusetts.
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Freedom on the Move: Rediscovering the Stories of Self-Liberating People
Digital collection. Crowdsourcing project that provides access to information, through thousands of print advertisements, about freedom-seekers and their would-be enslavers in the 18th and 19th centuries.
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March 5, 1770: Crispus Attucks Killed
Crispus Attucks was the first person shot to death by the British during the Boston Massacre.
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July 2, 1777: Vermont Officially Abolished Slavery
Vermont officially abolished slavery in its constitution.
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Aug. 29, 1786: Shays’ Rebellion
Massachusetts farmers arm themselves and rebel against taxation under the Articles of Confederation.
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Trans-Atlantic and Intra-American Slave Trade Database
Digital collection.
Through this website, over 130,000 voyages made in the Trans-Atlantic and Intra-American slave trade can be searched, filtered, and sorted by variables including the port of origin, the number of enslaved Africans on board, and the ship's name.
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Answering the Cry for Freedom: Stories of African Americans and the American Revolution
Book — Non-fiction. By Gretchen Woelfle. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. 2016. 238 pages.
Profiles of African American, free and enslaved, during the American Revolution for upper elementary to middle school.
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Profiles of African American, free and enslaved, during the American Revolution for upper elementary to middle school.
Feb. 10, 1780: Paul Cuffee and Other Free Blacks Petition for the Right to Vote
Paul Cuffee and other free Blacks petitioned the Massachusetts government to give African and Native Americans the right to vote.
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Mumbet’s Declaration of Independence
Picture book. By Gretchen Woelfle. Illustrated by Alix Delinois. 2014. 32 pages.
Picture book about true story of Elizabeth Freeman, a woman who challenged the legality of her enslavement.
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Picture book about true story of Elizabeth Freeman, a woman who challenged the legality of her enslavement.
Whitewashing Our First President
Article. By Clarence Lusane. 2014.
Critical review of an upper elementary non-fiction book about George Washington and the people he kept in bondage.
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Critical review of an upper elementary non-fiction book about George Washington and the people he kept in bondage.
A People’s History of the United States: Highlights from the Twentieth Century (Audio)
Audio. By Howard Zinn. Read by Matt Damon. 2003. 8 hours, 44 minutes.
Audio book version of excerpted highlights from A People's History of the United States.
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Audio book version of excerpted highlights from A People's History of the United States.
The American Revolutionaries: A History in Their Own Words, 1750-1800
Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Milton Meltzer. 1987. 224 pages.
First hand accounts and primary documents on the American Revolution.
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First hand accounts and primary documents on the American Revolution.
The First American Revolution: Before Lexington and Concord
Book — Non-fiction. By Ray Raphael. 2003. 288 pages.
The events leading up to the American Revolution.
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The events leading up to the American Revolution.
Slave Nation: How Slavery United the Colonies & Sparked the American Revolution
Book — Non-fiction. By Alfred Blumrosen and Ruth Blumrosen. 2006. 304 pages.
A detailed account of the role slavery played in the Revolutionary War and the writing of the U.S. Constitution.
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A detailed account of the role slavery played in the Revolutionary War and the writing of the U.S. Constitution.
A People’s History of the American Revolution: How Common People Shaped the Fight for Independence
Book — Non-fiction. By Ray Raphael. Series editor: Howard Zinn. 2002. 528 pages.
Using hundreds of primary sources, this book tells the more accurate, populist, complicated, and interesting story of the American Revolution.
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Using hundreds of primary sources, this book tells the more accurate, populist, complicated, and interesting story of the American Revolution.
Reading Between the Lines: An Art Contest Helps Students Imagine the Lives of Runaway Slaves
Teaching Activity. By Thom Thacker and Michael A. Lord. Rethinking Schools. 4 pages.
An art contest is used as the basis from which students can examine primary historical documents (advertisements for runaway slaves) to gain a deeper understanding of the institution of slavery in the North.
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An art contest is used as the basis from which students can examine primary historical documents (advertisements for runaway slaves) to gain a deeper understanding of the institution of slavery in the North.
Reclaiming Hidden History: Students Create a Slavery Walking Tour in Manhattan
Teaching Activity. By Alan J. Singer. Rethinking Schools. 7 pages.
How a teacher and his students organized a tour of the hidden history of slavery in New York.
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How a teacher and his students organized a tour of the hidden history of slavery in New York.
Half a Revolution
Teaching Activity. By Gayle Olson-Raymer. 16 pages.
Questions and teaching ideas for Chapter 5 of Voices of a People's History of the United States on the Revolutionary War as "a rich man's war and a poor man's fight," as well as the failure of early Americans to complete a full revolution.
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Questions and teaching ideas for Chapter 5 of Voices of a People's History of the United States on the Revolutionary War as "a rich man's war and a poor man's fight," as well as the failure of early Americans to complete a full revolution.
Servitude and Rebellion
Teaching Activity. By Gayle Olsen-Raymer. 15 pages.
Questions and teaching ideas for Chapter 3 of Voices of a People's History of the United States on the role and dissent of indentured servants in American colonial history.
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Questions and teaching ideas for Chapter 3 of Voices of a People's History of the United States on the role and dissent of indentured servants in American colonial history.
April 12, 1787: Free African Society Founded
The Free African Society was a benevolent organization grounded in Christian religious faith and operating outside denominational differences to serve the social needs of Black Philadelphians.
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The Color Line
Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow. 6 pages.
A lesson on the countless colonial laws enacted to create division and inequality based on race. This helps students understand the origins of racism in the United States and who benefits.
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A lesson on the countless colonial laws enacted to create division and inequality based on race. This helps students understand the origins of racism in the United States and who benefits.