Examines the plight of pre-Civil War African-Americans who were freemen, and describes the laws and restrictions placed upon them in the mid-seventeenth century and the roles they played in American society.
Describes an incident in the life of John Parker, an ex-slave who became a successful businessman in Ripley, Ohio, and who repeatedly risked his life to help other slaves escape to freedom.
Describes a typical day in the life of James Forten, a man born in Philadelphia to free African-American parents, who learned to be a sailmaker, and later became a wealthy, respected businessman with his own shop.
Tells the story of James Forten, a free African-American boy from Philadelphia who was taken prisoner aboard a British warship and later on a British prison ship until the end of the war.
Explains how the nearly four million slaves and nearly half a million free blacks gained freedom and basic rights as citizens, following Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
Presents the personal memoirs of Maritcha R?mond Lyons who was born in nineteenth-century New York City and describes how she and her family escaped to Rhode Island during the 1863 Draft riots and how she overcame prejudice to become the first African-American person to graduate from Providence High School.
