Search

In the matter of Plessy v. Ferguson, the United States Supreme Court upheld practices that perpetuated Jim Crow segregation, declaring that “separate but equal” accommodations were legal. Nearly 60 years later, the Court overturned the ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

Solomon Northup was kidnapped and sold into slavery for 12 years before he was freed. This excerpt from his memoir of those years, Twelve Years A Slave, details a New Orleans slave auction.

In his 1832 "Letter to the American People," Choctaw Chief George W. Harkins sought to expose the deception and manipulation behind the government's Native American policy.

In the graphic novel March, Congressman John Lewis documents his experiences as a young civil rights activist. Hear him describe his first arrest employing a nonviolent resistance strategy, as captured in the book.

Michael Dunn, a white male, shot and killed Jordan Davis, an unarmed African-American male, while Davis was in a parked vehicle at a gas station. This segment from 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets profiles various perspectives regarding the role that race played in the killing.

In this segment from 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets, a jury delivers the verdict in the case about the murder of Jordan Davis by Michael Dunn.

In this interview, Rita Moreno shares short vignettes from her journey as the first Latino to win an Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy.

In 1920, Tennessee lawmaker Harry Burn followed his mother’s advice on a controversial vote—and changed voting rights history.

This order was issued by the War Department in 1863, ending the long-standing federal law that banned African-American men from armed military service.