African American History Month

Photo, Members of the 332nd Fighter Group attending a briefing in Ramitelli, Italy, March, 1945, Toni Frissell, Library of Congress

February is African American History Month. Recognize the major historical figures and the everyday men, women, and children who made history.

Textbooks describe segregation in a few pages, but these artists share complicated, personal views of how segregation looked and felt.

A Dog Swap, 1881 by Richard Norris Brooke, SAAM

Close observation and an inquisitive mind are all the tools you need to start analyzing primary sources! Teachers model analyzing works of art.

Cartoon, Colored Scholars Excluded from Schools, 1839, Anti-Slavery Almanac.

Compare perspectives on educational desegregation. How did it affect the community?

February is African American History Month, and March is Women's History Month. Reading the work of African American women authors can give students a look into how these histories overlap. FIND OUT MORE »

Learning Resources

Find primary sources for the month

Television News of the Civil Rights Era

View contemporary coverage of the Civil Rights Movement from two Roanoke, VA [...] »

A Chronology of American Slavery

Illustration, Guinea propia, nec non Nigritiae vel Terrae Nigrorum.., 1743, LoC.

A chronology of African slavery, with links to other websites and useful [...] »

Atlantic Slave Trade and Slave Life in the Americas: A Visual Record

Drawing, Sugar Plantation, Antigua, West Indies, 1823, W.Clark, Image Ref NW0008

Showcases more than 1,230 images depicting the enslavement of Africans, the [...] »

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Teaching Resources

Browse strategies and lesson plans

Examining Adolescent Stories About Racial Diversity

photographic print, Shirley Chisholm, head-and-shoulders portrait, 1965 November

How do factors such as race and ethnicity shape young peoples’ perspectives the [...] »

Anthony Pellegrino on Teaching Segregated History

Photo, Singing class in a Negro school, Oct. 1941, Jack Delano, LoC

Anthony Pellegrino explores the history of one segregated school, and [...] »

A Look at Slavery through Posters and Broadsides

Poster, Men of Color To Arms!, c.1900s, Gilder Lehrman Collection

How to identify the author, audience, date, and message of historical posters. [...] »

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Quizzes

Put your knowledge to the test!

Classroom Glory

Does the movie "Glory" depict historical accuracy or wholesale fiction? [...] »

In Dr. King's Words

Photo, DSCN0681, joelogon, Oct. 1, 2011, Flickr

People can identify (some of) the words of Martin Luther King Jr. Can you place [...] »

The Great Black Hope

Photo, Boxers Marty Cutler and Jack Johnson in ring [...] Library of Congress

These African American athletes drew crowds with their skill and determination [...] »

Teaching History.org, home of the National History Education Clearinghouse