Frederick Douglass

Andrew Delbanco's new book positions the debate over fugitive slaves as a central factor in the nation's slide toward disunion.

It’s time to fight for the original and heretofore unachieved goals of the women’s movement.

From the Framers on, Americans have understood our fundamental law to oppose ownership of persons.

A review of a book by Sean Wilentz's "No Property in Man," which argues that the document is full of anti-slavery language.

Although he was denied his House seat, Menard continued his activism with the goal of uniting people across the Western Hemisphere.

Although she’s often overshadowed by her husband, Anna made his work possible.

What are Latin American ideas about race, and how have they been formed in relation to the U.S. and vice versa?

Civil War historian David Blight reflects on America’s Disunion – then and now.

Frederick Douglas had another, lesser known, impact on Baltimore.

As a young woman, civil rights pioneer Pauli Murray discovered that the flag could be used as a symbol of defiance.

Recovering black radicalism.

On the abolitionists, Reconstruction, and winning “freedom” from the Right.

Can our unruly national story be squeezed into two vessels?

Black radicals read the Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration has always been fought over. We can let Trump claim it, or we can take up its battle cry to “alter or to abolish” what’s destroying our country.

What is living and what is dead in our memory of the American Revolution.

To fight against slavery, the author collected true stories then picked up a pen and distilled them into “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”

Amid contention, criticism, and compromise, a divided nation had to present a unified front. It came at a cost.

Popular resistance to the Fugitive Slave Law and “Slave Power” helped forge a new electoral force.

Efforts to control Black mobility—from early passports to the Fugitive Slave Act—laid much of the groundwork for today’s border regimes.