“The Good Fight: Oklahoma City Sit-Ins” tells the inspiring story of the Oklahoma City sit-in movement, which started in 1958. You’ll learn how students used non-violent protests to help end segregation in public places (like restaurants) across Oklahoma. It even includes interviews with sit-in participants! Best to access this resource on desktop (not mobile).
Ending slavery in America required so much more than official declarations and battlefield victories. Freedom gets built up over time—through a billion tiny, everyday acts. It’s there in the chance to enlist and fight for a cause. It’s there in the effort to reunite families torn apart by the cruelty of slave trading. It’s there […]
Interested in the debate about Confederate monuments in the United States? Check out this guide designed by the Atlanta History Center which offers resources about researching different monuments. You'll learn how to better understand who erected the monument, when, and why, in order to inform thoughtful discussions.
Slavery is fundamental to the American story. Monticello is simultaneously a place to remember, a place to mourn, and a place to inspire change. How can Monticello’s duality – the pain and beauty of one of America’s best-studied and preserved plantations – advance a national dialogue on race? What is the role of cultural monuments […]
Did the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution give all people the same rights? This might be a children’s story, but there are a lot of interesting questions to consider here - and ways for you to add your voice.
January 1, 2018 marked the 155th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. In celebration, the National Archives Foundation created this fun quiz about the document.
Enslaved men, women, and children not only built Monticello; they and their descendants also helped build the city of Charlottesville. This tour is based largely on the research of Monticello historian Lucia "Cinder" Stanton, and shares the stories of free and enslaved African Americans with ties to Monticello who left a lasting impact on Charlottesville […]
First-person interpretation can help the past come alive, but it can be a heavy responsibility—especially when sharing difficult history. Portraying an enslaved person can be especially challenging, both professionally and personally. Richard M. Josey discusses his years as a first-person interpreter, the lessons he learned, and how he now shares those lessons as a consultant […]
In June 2020, members of The Yale Historical Review (YHR) founded The 1701 Project, an initiative on racial injustice and social change. Although unrelated, we draw inspiration from Nikole Hannah-Jones and her colleagues’ examination of slavery’s legacies in The 1619 Project. The 1701 Project (a nod to the year of Yale’s founding) analyzes our university’s […]
Monticello's Director of African American History Niya Bates discusses the descendants of Monticello's enslaved community and their struggle over generations to make real the promises of the Declaration of Independence.
The conflict isn’t over after the the war in 1865. How do Americans reconcile with the weight and cost of the war while trying to reunify the nation and welcome people who have a newfound citizenship?
Hear from tour guide Annette Melendez, as she talks about the role of African-American sailors in World War II and the brave men of Gun Tub 10 who served on board USS Intrepid.