The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. | PBS

This website is no longer actively maintained

Some material and features may be unavailable

Henry Louis Gates Remembers Rev. Pickney

Illustration from The Black Atlantic episode

Episode 1: The Black Atlantic

The Black Atlantic explores the global experiences that created the African-American people. The episode portrays the earliest Africans, slave and ...

Cotton plantation illustration

The Cotton Economy and Slavery

Slavery was the fuel for a global cotton economy. The spread of plantations in the Deep South led to the forced migration known today as slavery's ...

Robert Smalls

Robert Smalls: A Daring Escape

The future South Carolina Representative to Congress made a daring escape from slavery when he sailed a war ship past Fort Sumter.

Racist Images and Messages in Jim Crow Era

Racist images in the Jim Crow era demeaned African Americans and legitimized violence against them. A visit to the Jim Crow Museum in Michigan.

Ruby Bridges as Young Girl

Ruby Bridges Goes to School

Ruby was one of six children who desegregated several all-white elementary schools in New Orleans in 1960.

All Video FEATURED VIDEO

Episode Six: A More Perfect Union

A More Perfect Union (1968 – 2013). Full Episode

From the Black Power movement to the first black president of the United States.

Conversation with Rep. John Lewis and Charlayne Hunter-Gault

Civil Rights Movement Leaders in Conversation

Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Chairman Emeritus of the NAACP Julian Bond.

Black is Beautiful

Episode Six Clip

Black is Beautiful

“Black is Beautiful” came out of the Black Power movement and into the mainstream, such as on "Soul Train."

Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro

What Is Juneteenth?
What is Juneteenth and why are 42 states and the District of Columbia celebrating it this year?
Who Were the African Americans in the Kennedy Administration?
In the first six months of the Kennedy Administration, some 50 black men (and women) were appointed to executive branch jobs.
Why Was Cotton ‘King’?
Cotton not only ruled in the South, but had a great role in the Northern banking industry, New England factories and in Great Britain.
Which Slave Sailed Himself to Freedom?
Robert Smalls made a daring sea escape during the Civil War and went on to serve five terms in Congress.
George Washington’s Runaway Slave, Harry
Harry's determination to be free suggests that not all of the slaves found Washington to be the benevolent master whom historians have depicted.

All Facts About the Blog Title

Connect with Prof. Gates!

MOST POPULAR COMMENTS

Find educational resources related to this program - and access to thousands of curriculum-targeted digital resources for the classroom at PBS LearningMedia.

Visit PBS Learning Media

© 2013 WNET. All rights reserved.
PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross is a film by Kunhardt McGee Productions, THIRTEEN Productions LLC, Inkwell Films, in assocation with Ark Media.