slavery

The founder of Johns Hopkins University was discovered to be a slaveowner in contradiction to the long-held narrative that the philanthropist was an abolitionist.

Johns Hopkins, Long Believed An Abolitionist, Actually Owned Slaves, University Says

10:01am December 10, 2020

by Jaclyn Diaz

Researchers found census records showing the entrepreneur and philanthropist owned slaves as late as 1850, contrary to the long-held belief that his family freed all slaves when he was a boy.

Federal lawmakers introduced an joint resolution that seeks "to prohibit the use of slavery and involuntary servitude as a punishment for a crime" under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

Democrats Push 'Abolition Amendment' To Fully Erase Slavery From U.S. Constitution

6:43pm December 03, 2020

by Brakkton Booker

Congressional Democrats seek to remove the "punishment" clause from the 13th Amendment which allows members of prison populations to be used as cheap and free labor.

Thomas poses for a portrait at the African American Burial Ground for the Enslaved at Belmont. Thomas restored the graveyard and then used it to bury her teenage son when he drowned in June.

National

A Pastor Rescues A Cemetery For Enslaved People, Then Buries Her Son In It

7:11am October 19, 2020

by Daniella Cheslow

After her teenaged son drowned, Pastor Michelle Thomas decided to bury him in a old burial ground she had come across earlier while searching for a new site for her church.

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Peggy Bouva (left) and Maartje Duin traveled to Suriname together to visit a former sugar plantation once owned by Dutch nobility. Duin's great-great-great-grandmother held a share in the plantation, where Bouva's ancestors were enslaved. The two women do

World News

'A Journey That We Have To Join Together': 2 Dutch Women Confront Slavery's Legacy

8:01am September 06, 2020

by Joanna Kakissis

Maartje Duin and Peggy Bouva are examining painful issues in the Netherlands' colonial past. "We wanted to show people that you can talk about this openly, even if it's uncomfortable," says Bouva.

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Lloyd's of London and pub-chain Greene King said they'd donate to charities helping black and ethnic minorities. Research conducted by The Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slave-ownership highlighted compensation linked to slavery that foun

World News

Two U.K. Companies Apologize, Pledge Donations Over Slavery Legacies

1:15pm June 18, 2020

by Jason Slotkin

Lloyd's of London and pub chain Greene King said they'd donate to charities helping minority communities. A research project documented that founders of the companies received money linked to slavery.

The Freeman Room in the Ashley House in Sheffield, Mass., includes a portrait of Elizabeth Freeman.

National

In The 1700s An Enslaved Massachusetts Woman Sued For Her Freedom — And Won

11:56am February 27, 2020

by Nancy Eve Cohen

Elizabeth Freeman used the colonists' ideas of equality and independence to sue for her freedom. Her lawyer was Theodore Sedgwick, who would later become speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, poses with a monument that was erected in Harriet E. Wilson's honor. Boggis says when she read Wilson's book, she felt as if it was written the book just for her.

Early Novel Written By Free Black Woman Called Out Racism Among Abolitionists

5:15pm February 15, 2020

by Jack Rodolico

In 1859, Harriet E. Wilson published a book about life as an indentured servant in New Hampshire. It remains an obscure classic because it challenges white ideals about racism in the North.

A portrait of 19th-century abolitionist Frederick Douglass is unveiled at the Maryland governor's residence in Annapolis on Sept. 15, 2014.

Voters Face A Big Decision In 2020: Could A Lesson From Frederick Douglass Help?

6:01am January 13, 2020

by Steve Inskeep

In 1856, Frederick Douglass had a choice to make: support the big change he believed in — abolition of slavery — or settle for a less sweeping shift from a candidate better positioned to win.

Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey plans to set aside $27 million to provide 30 scholarships for students who descended from slaves or underrepresented groups.

With Plans To Pay Slavery Reparations, Two Seminaries Prompt A Broader Debate

9:39am October 29, 2019

by Tom Gjelten

Two seminaries with historic ties to slavery recently set aside money for reparations. Another rejected such a proposal. The moves have prompted a debate over how to make up for pro-slavery legacies.

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Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home, by Richard Bell

Books
Arts

In 'Stolen,' Five Boys Are Caught In A Reverse Underground Railroad Toward Slavery

1:57pm October 16, 2019

by Ilana Masad

Richard Bell's true tale details how even as the Underground Railroad ferried enslaved people north towards freedom, free black people vanished from northern cities to be sold into plantation slavery.