Through the lens of historic photographs, we learn a story of African American history. Today, African Americans in United States agriculture are virtually non-existent, and in a world of mechanized industrial farming, it is easy to forget the hands-on physical labor required in the past. The ric...

Thomas Laws deserves to be much better known than he is! Enslaved at the beginning of the Civil War, it was his action and bravery that provided the conduit for General Sheridan to get vital intelligence to launch the 3rd Battle of Winchester. Find out more! “Fridays at the Front” is a collaborat...

This is the story of F4U Corsair pilots Jesse Brown and Medal of Honor winner Thomas Hudner in the Korean War - the tragic tale from the movie "Devotion".

Within the turmoil of The Civil War, Sable, a Confederate engineer's house slave, risks everything by stealing military plans in hopes of delivering them to her runaway husband and a trusting Union soldier. But when a battle drifts into their drop spot, nothing goes as expected and a simple plan ...

Legacy of the Little Rock Nine: Featuring Ernest Green and Melba Pattillo Beals, PhD chronicles the story of the first 9 African American students to attend the all white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Learn how powers of local & national government battled integration 3 years afte...

Jawana Jackson gives a tour of her parents’ home, which once served as a safe haven where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and civil rights leaders worked, strategized and planned the Selma-to-Montgomery marches of 1965.

For two decades, William Lee was by George Washington's side and forged a close relationship with him. He was with Washington throughout every moment of the Revolutionary War, and till his death. It is thought that Washington's relationship with Lee altered his view on slavery as he grew older. I...

Esau and Janie Jenkins dedicated themselves to improving the lives of Black residents on Johns Island, South Carolina. Esau Jenkins purchased this Volkswagen van around 1967, and the couple used it in much of their work. The van's rugged character is a tribute to the selfless service of Esau and ...

Ona Judge Staines was enslaved and forced to work as Martha Washington's personal servant until she escaped from the President's Mansion in Philadelphia. Much is known of Judge's life in comparison to other people enslaved by the Washingtons as a result of newspaper interviews she gave in 1845 an...

Today we remember the life of Doll: mother of 5, grandmother of 14, and enslaved cook at Mount Vernon. Telling this story is Brenda Parker, our African American Interpretation and Special Project Coordinator at Mount Vernon.

The life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are often hidden behind the continual replaying of a few lines from his “I Have a Dream” speech. In fact, Dr. King’s real story — from unknown Baptist minister to American civil rights leader and international human rights spokesperson — ...

Caroline Branham was one of George Washington's housemaids at Mount Vernon. Part of Branham's role on the estate was cleaning and maintaining the rooms in the Mansion. She was also the person who first discovered Washington was ill shortly before he passed. In this video, join one of our interpre...

Adolphus Thaddeus Watson, 100 Year old WWII Veteran, who served in the U.S. Army all black 351st artillery unit during the Battle of the Bulge is featured. His story takes us on a historical journey from being raised on a plantation by his Aunt Fannie who was born into slavery, the Jim Crow era, ...

In 1967, Esau and Janie B. Jenkins purchased the 1966 Volkswagen Deluxe Station Wagon currently on display in Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, but their civil rights activism efforts began decades earlier.

Learn more about the Jenkins’ commitment to bettering the lives of residents i...

This insightful look at Elizabeth Keckley, born into slavery, freed woman, dressmaker to Varina Howell Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis and Mary Todd Lincoln, brings to light a little known part of the Lincoln story and American history

Join Mount Vernon's Curator of Archeological Collections, Sean Devlin, for an in-depth look at a reconstructed slave cabin. What clues can we pull from looking at the structure, the soil, and the material culture around the cabin to help us understand more about the lives of the enslaved? What ac...

Lives Bound Together: Slavery at George Washington’s Mount Vernon explores the personal stories of the people enslaved at Mount Vernon while providing insight into George Washington’s evolving opposition to slavery.

Court documents found in St. Louis tell the inspiring story of courage when slaves from around the area fought for their freedom by challenging their owners in court