The making of "Show ways," or quilts which once served as secret maps for freedom-seeking slaves, is a tradition passed from mother to daughter in the author's family.

Belvie Rooks describes how teaching the story of the universe has empowered African American youth to contextualize slavery, envision healing and reconciliation, and image a better future through a broader sense of self and of place.

Although slavery was abolished in New York State on July 4th, 1827, America's slave-based cotton trade was not, as bales from the South continued to enter New York City for transshipment to Europe. In this program, James Oliver Horton, historian emeritus at the Smithsonian, talks with NewsHour correspondent Gwen Ifill about slavery's impact on New York City during the first half of the 19th century. Economically dependent on King Cotton, it was a...

Experience the rich cultural diversity of Native American tribes and the impact that early white explorers had on their lives. In this program, viewers will learn about the mysterious disappearance of the Anasazi culture and the successful Pueblo revolt against their Spanish conquerors. First-person accounts bring to life the adventures of early explorers, from Cabeza de Vaca, the first white man to enter the West, to the Lewis and Clark expedition....

1862 saw the birth of modern warfare and the transformation of Lincoln’s war to preserve the Union into a war to emancipate the slaves. Episode Two begins with the political infighting that threatened to swamp Lincoln’s administration and then follows Union General George McClellan’s ill-fated campaign on the Virginia Peninsula, where his huge army meets a smaller but infinitely more resourceful Confederate force. During this episode we witness...

A 7-Part Compelling Journey Through America's Greatest Saga! In 1860, the nation founded upon an idea that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness had as many as four hundred thousand slave-owners and almost four million slaves. By denying these rights to more than twelve percent of its population, America would soon pay with the blood of a generation. ...

The gripping story is told through four generations, from the capture of Kunta Kinte in Africa to his transport to Colonial America in brutal conditions through successive generations fighting to win their freedom in the Civil War. Based on Alex Haley's best-selling novel which has resonated with millions of Americans, it reveals powerful, universal truths about the resilience of the human spirit.

The Civil War began as a means of preserving the Union. But to nearly four million African Americans, it held a much more personal promise. As Northern armies swept south, self-emancipated slaves sought refuge behind Union lines. Determined to claim basic human rights, former slaves turned soldiers helped defeat their oppressors. But the road to freedom would be a rocky one. Despite continued oppression and violence, African Americans worked tirelessly...

Set during the final days of slavery in 19th century Jamaica, following the trials, tribulations and survival of July and her odious mistress Caroline on a sugar plantation.

This comprehensive program chronicles the institution of slavery in North America, beginning with the notorious "middle passage" through Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, emancipation, and Reconstruction. Expert interviews and archival photographs help to describe family life, religion, resistance to enslavement, the Abolitionist Movement and post-war difficulties of newly emancipated people, dispelling the myth that slavery...