In 1619, the Dutch introduced the first captured Africans to America, planting the seeds of a slavery system that evolved into a nightmare of abuse and cruelty that would ultimately divide the nation.

Historian Matthew Pinsker presents a quick rundown of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act.

In the decades before the Civil War, anti-slavery sentiment sparked an abolitionist movement that employed risky and radical tactics to bring an end to slavery.

At just 6, Ruby Bridges braved angry crowds to attend an all-white school—becoming the first Black student to integrate in Louisiana.