Teaching Hard History

The experiences of enslaved people varied greatly based on a variety of factors, including time, location, crop, labor performed, size of slaveholding and gender. Yet, most students leave school thin…

For a more complete picture of enslaved people’s experiences, we need to expand our understanding of resistance. Kenneth S. Greenberg, Ph.D., examines the numerous ways enslaved African Americans inc…

In learning about slavery, students often ask, “Why didn’t enslaved people run away or revolt?” Lindsay Anne Randall explains “process drama” — a method to help build empathy and understand the risks…

In many ways, the U.S. has fallen short of its ideals. How can we explain this to students — particularly in the context of discussing slavery? Salem State University professor Steven Thurston Oliver…

When we think of slavery as a strictly Southern institution, we perpetuate a “dangerous fiction,” according to historian Christy Clark-Pujara. Avoid the trap with this episode about the role the Nort…

Salem State University professor Bethany Jay returns to examine how the actions of free and enslaved African Americans shaped the progress of the Civil War and contributed to emancipation. Join host …

What really caused the Civil War? In this episode, Salem State University Professor Bethany Jay examines the complex role that slavery played in causing the Civil War and outlines ways to teach this …

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries represents New York’s 8th congressional district. Our final episode this season takes us to the U.S. House of Representatives for a conversation between Rep. Jeffries and …

After emancipation, aspects of the legal system were reshaped to maintain control of Black lives and labor. Historian Robert T. Chase outlines the evolution of convict leasing in the prison system. A…

From concertos to operas, Black composers captured the changes and challenges facing African Americans during Jim Crow. Renowned classical pianist Laura Downes is bringing new appreciation to the wor…

When we consider the trauma of white supremacy during the Jim Crow era—what writer Ralph Ellison describes as “the brutal experience”—it’s important to understand the resilience and joy that sustaine…

Black political ideologies in the early 20th century evolved against a backdrop of derogatory stereotypes and racial terrorism. Starting with Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Agency,…

From ranches to railroads, learn about the often unrecognized role that African Americans played in the range cattle industry, as Pullman porters and in law enforcement. In part two of this special s…

This nation has a long history of exploiting Black Americans in the name of medicine. A practice which began with the Founding Fathers using individual enslaved persons for gruesome experimentation e…

This is a special four-part series where historian Charles L. Hughes introduces us to musicians who are exploring the sounds, songs and stories of the Jim Crow era. In this installment, Jazz pianist …

During the Harlem Renaissance, more Black artists than ever before were asking key questions about the role of art in society. Oftentimes the Harlem Renaissance is misconstrued as a discrete moment i…

In the United States, Black athletes have had to contend with two sets of rules: those of the game and those of a racist society. While they dealt with 20th century realities of breaking the color li…

Opportunities created by the New Deal were often denied to African Americans. And that legacy of exclusion to jobs, loans and services can be seen today in federal programs and policies as well as sy…

U.S. involvement in world wars and the domestic Black freedom struggle shaped one another. By emphasizing the diverse stories of servicemen and women, historian Adriane Lentz-Smith situates Black sol…

Historian Tera Hunter describes Black institution-building post-slavery and throughout the Jim Crow era, illustrating how Black workers reorganized labor to their advantage, despite virulent white re…