Tag: American history

The Smithsonian Institution offers over 21 museums, many located in the nation's capital, and most are free. Collections include the National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Postal Museum, and Anacostia Community Museum. The National Museum of African Art features exhibits exploring art through diverse lenses, while the National Air and Space Museum celebrates human flight achievements and stories of pioneering Black aviators. The National Portrait Gallery holds over 26,000 portraits including presidents and civil rights icons. Visitors can explore contemporary art at the Hirshhorn Museum, entertainment history at the American History Museum, and natural wonders at the Natural History Museum featuring the Hope Diamond.

The 250th anniversary of America arrives as historians confront the full truth of the American Revolution and Black soldiers, spies and petitioners whose stories have been pushed to the margins. Around 5,000 Black men fought on the Patriots' side, while thousands more fought for the British. From double agents at Yorktown to Dunmore's Proclamation, Black contributions were vast and often crucial to victory.

The 250th anniversary of America arrives as historians confront the full, complicated truth of the Revolution and Black soldiers, spies and petitioners whose stories have been marginalized. While around 5,000 Black men fought for the Patriots, thousands more fought for the British. From double agents securing victory at Yorktown to Dunmore's 1775 proclamation pulling enslaved people into British lines, Black contributions were vast and often crucial. Figures like James Armistead Lafayette, a double agent who gained freedom in 1787, and Belinda Sutton, who petitioned for reparations based on her decades of forced labor, reveal how the Revolution extended into petitions, education and early Black community building.

There are eras in American history that Black folks look back on with horror — defined not only by law and policy, but by lived experience, fear, and resistance. Among them, Jim Crow stands as one of the most devastating systems of racial control in America.

Frederick Douglass, most photographed American of the 19th century. Over 160 portraits known. Image shows a black and white photo of Douglass. Dated from the 1880s.