Teaching Hard History

At James Madison's Montpelier, an exhibit models how to explore American slavery at a historic site through the commitment to accuracy and truth about slavery and engagement with the descendants of the enslaved community. Christian Cotz, Price Thomas and Patrice Preston Grimes explain how that happened and why it is important. This episode originally aired in May 2018. Visit the new resource page...

Building on the discussion of " Slavery in the Constitution ," historian Paul Finkelman examines the connections among the Constitution, the Supreme Court, politics and slavery. This episode offers insights into the ideologies and tensions that shaped the United States, led to the Civil War and continue to affect our nation today.  Join host Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph. D., and Learning for Justice,...

Constitutional and legal historian Paul Finkelman explains the critical role slavery played in the founding of the United States and how the politics of slavery shaped the U.S. Constitution in ways that are still evident today. Join host Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph. D., and Learning for Justice, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). (This episode originally aired in Apr. 2018.) Visit t...

Film historian Ron Briley returns with more suggestions for teaching through film — from thought-provoking documentaries and feature films to miniseries. Spanning productions from the works of Ken Burns to the blockbuster Black Panther , this episode offers essential background information and practical strategies. Join host Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph. D., and Learning for Justice, a project of the...

Film has long shaped our nation's historical memory — for good and bad. Film historian Ron Briley offers ways to responsibly use films in the classroom to more accurately frame the narrative of American slavery and Reconstruction. Join host Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph. D., and Learning for Justice, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). (This episode originally aired in 2018.) Visit the...

The experiences of enslaved people varied greatly based on a variety of factors, including time, location, crop, labor performed, size of slaveholding and gender. Yet, most students leave school thinking enslaved people lived like the biased representation in Gone With the Wind . Deirdre Cooper Owens, Ph. D., discusses how the lived experience of slavery varied and evolved. Join host Hasan Kwame J...

For a more complete picture of enslaved people's experiences, we need to expand our understanding of resistance. Kenneth S. Greenberg, Ph. D., examines the numerous ways enslaved African Americans incorporated resistance into every aspect of their lives, offering a lens to help students see how enslaved people fought back against the brutality of slavery. Join host Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph. D., an...

In learning about slavery, students often ask, "Why didn't enslaved people run away or revolt?" Lindsay Anne Randall explains "process drama" — a method to help build empathy and understand the risks and complexities that enslaved individuals faced. Join host Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph. D., and Learning for Justice, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). (This episode originally aired...

In many ways, the U.S. has fallen short of its ideals. How can we explain this to students — particularly in the context of discussing slavery? Salem State University professor Steven Thurston Oliver shares practical strategies for teaching hard history and creating supportive classroom environments in which relationships are strong enough to be able to hold challenging conversations. Join host Ha...

When we think of slavery as a strictly Southern institution, we perpetuate a "dangerous fiction," according to historian Christy Clark-Pujara. Avoid the trap with this episode about the role the North played in perpetuating slavery and the truth behind the phrase "slavery built the United States."  Join host Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph. D., and Learning for Justice, a project of the Southern Poverty...

Salem State University professor Bethany Jay returns to examine how the actions of free and enslaved African Americans shaped the progress of the Civil War and contributed to emancipation. Join host Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph. D., and Learning for Justice, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). (This episode originally aired in Jan. 2018.) Visit the new resource page for this episode (...

What really caused the Civil War? In this episode, Salem State University Professor Bethany Jay examines the complex role that slavery played in causing the Civil War and outlines ways to teach this history and clarify our understanding of the Confederacy. Join host Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph. D., and Learning for Justice, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). (This episode originally...

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries represents New York's 8th congressional district. Our final episode this season takes us to the U.S. House of Representatives for a conversation between Rep. Jeffries and his brother, our host, Dr. Hasan Jeffries, to discuss the lingering effects of the Jim Crow era—including voter access, prison and policing reform and other enduring injustices—and to discuss the conti...

After emancipation, aspects of the legal system were reshaped to maintain control of Black lives and labor. Historian Robert T. Chase outlines the evolution of convict leasing in the prison system. And Historian Brandon T. Jett explores the commercial factors behind the transition from extra-legal lynchings to police enforcement of the color line. We examine the connections between these early pra...

From concertos to operas, Black composers captured the changes and challenges facing African Americans during Jim Crow. Renowned classical pianist Laura Downes is bringing new appreciation to the works of artists like Florence Price and Scott Joplin. In our final installment of Music Reconstructed, Downes discusses how we can hear the complicated history of this era with historian Charles L. Hughe...

When we consider the trauma of white supremacy during the Jim Crow era—what writer Ralph Ellison describes as "the brutal experience"—it's important to understand the resilience and joy that sustained Black communities. We can experience that all through the "near-comic, near-tragic lyricism" of the blues. In part 3 of this series, acclaimed musician, songwriter and poet Adia Victoria shows how th...

Black political ideologies in the early 20th century evolved against a backdrop of derogatory stereotypes and racial terrorism. Starting with Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Agency, historian Minkah Makalani contextualizes an era of Black intellectualism. From common goals of racial unity to fierce debates over methods, he shows how movements of the 1920s and 1930s fed into what...

From ranches to railroads, learn about the often unrecognized role that African Americans played in the range cattle industry, as Pullman porters and in law enforcement. In part two of this special series, Grammy Award-winner Dom Flemons takes us on a musical exploration of the American West after emancipation. "The American Songster" joins historian Charles L. Hughes to discuss the complexity of...

This nation has a long history of exploiting Black Americans in the name of medicine. A practice which began with the Founding Fathers using individual enslaved persons for gruesome experimentation evolved into state-sanctioned injustices such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, among others. Award-winning author, historian Deirdre Cooper Owens details a chronology of medical malpractice and racist mi...

This is a special four-part series where historian Charles L. Hughes introduces us to musicians who are exploring the sounds, songs and stories of the Jim Crow era. In this installment, Jazz pianist Jason Moran discusses his acclaimed musical celebration of a man he calls "Big Bang of Jazz," bandleader, arranger and composer James Reese Europe. During World War I, Europe fought as a Lieutenant wit...

During the Harlem Renaissance, more Black artists than ever before were asking key questions about the role of art in society. Oftentimes the Harlem Renaissance is misconstrued as a discrete moment in American history–not as the next iteration of a thriving Black artistic tradition that it was. Literature scholar Julie Buckner Armstrong urges educators to look deeper into the texts left to us by t...

In the United States, Black athletes have had to contend with two sets of rules: those of the game and those of a racist society. While they dealt with 20th century realities of breaking the color line and the politics of respectability, Black fans, educational institutions, and the Black press were building sporting congregations with their own wealth and energy. Historians Derrick White and Loui...

Opportunities created by the New Deal were often denied to African Americans. And that legacy of exclusion to jobs, loans and services can be seen today in federal programs and policies as well as systemic inequities in housing, education, health and the accumulation of wealth. Historian Jill Watts examines the complicated history of the New Deal, beginning with the growing political influence of...

U.S. involvement in world wars and the domestic Black freedom struggle shaped one another. By emphasizing the diverse stories of servicemen and women, historian Adriane Lentz-Smith situates Black soldiers as agents of American empire who were simultaneously building their own institutions at home. While white elected officials worked to systemically embed segregation into government, African Ameri...

Historian Tera Hunter describes Black institution-building post-slavery and throughout the Jim Crow era, illustrating how Black workers reorganized labor to their advantage, despite virulent white resistance. During the same period, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) produced future leaders while cultivating resistance to white supremacy—and continue to do so. Educator Jelani Fav...