Emancipation Proclamation

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.

Learn about the Frederick Douglass Foundation’s mission to advance education, leadership and the enduring legacy of Frederick Douglass.