Revisit America's arduous journey through slavery with this special collection of videos and web-exclusive features by trusted producers across PBS. Each of the features below is a window into a documentary or program about slavery in America and the events leading up to the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. The features will connect you directly to the website of a PBS partner where it can be viewed in full or allow you to watch a preview directly within the collection below. Get started now. Venture back into history with PBS to examine slavery in America.
Slave Ship Mutiny through Pictures
Buried off the waters of Africa’s southernmost coast is the slave ship Meermin, whose fatal voyage tells a lost chapter in the history of the salve trade and one of South Africa’s first freedom fighters: Massavana. Search through archival images and stills from reenactments from the film.
Well-known Negro Spirituals of the mid-1800s are much more complex than they first appear. From Underground Railroad: The William Still Story.
William Still's Place in History
William Still earned the name "The Father of the Underground Railroad."
Historians John Stauffer and Lois Brown talk about the value of abolitionists' story. From American Experience.
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe writes the most popular and influential book in American history.
The Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott decision had the potential to legalize slavery everywhere in the U.S.
The War and issues that divided the United States of America. From KLRU's Juneteenth Jamboree.
Soldier's Stories: Trail of Trust
Meet Fred Johnson, an African-American whose ancestors fought in the Civil War
Wearing the Confederate Uniform: Slave or Soldier?
In this rare photo of a black man in a Confederate uniform, was he soldier or slave?
Lincoln Announces Freedom
In 1862, Lincoln promises to sign an Emancipation Proclamation on New Year's Day.
The videos and features above are from PBS documentaries and productions by Secrets of the Dead, Slavery and the Making of America, The Underground Railroad: The William Still Story, History Detectives, American Experience, UNC-TV and KLRU.
More videos & resources on Slavery in America:
The Time of the Lincolns: The Underground Railroad, American Experience
