Boston African American National Historic Site

Abram E. Cutter

Agnes Adams

Alfred Augustus Childs

Alice Casneau

Alvah A. Burrage

Amos Bronson Alcott

Amos W. Locke

Andrew Malcolm McPhail Jr.

Explore a story map about William and Ellen Craft's remarkable journey to freedom. Enslaved in Macon, Georgia, the Crafts escaped slavery by traveling in disguise, with Ellen dressed as a sickly white male planter while William acted as the planter's faithful enslaved man. While they began their new life in Boston, the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law forced them to flee to England as slave catchers sought to return them to slavery.

The humanitarian efforts of the Women’s Service Club have uplifted Boston for over a century. Piloted by generations of Black women, the Club’s activism paralleled broader efforts to eliminate second-class citizenship in American society.

Explore this story map about freedom seeker Anthony Burns, who escaped slavery in Virginia and came to Boston. However, in May 1854 authorities arrested Burns, which sparked major protests, a failed courthouse rescue, a military takeover of downtown Boston, and, ultimately, a return to slavery by the federal government. Eventually freed by Boston abolitionists, Anthony Burns attended Oberlin College and became a minister.

Members of the Woman's Era Club, a Boston-based African American women's club, lived the club's motto to "make the world better" by devoting their lives to numerous causes. Members advocated for women's suffrage and education for African American women, aided the less fortunate and oppressed, and fought racism and discrimination against African Americans.

In 1850, Shadrach Minkins escaped slavery, possibly by hiding as a stowaway on a ship in Norfolk Harbor. Months after arriving in Boston, slave catchers arrested Minkins with plans to return him to his owner in Virginia. However, Black Bostonians rescued Minkins from the courthouse and escorted him out of the city to safety. Learn about Minkins' inspiring journey from slavery to freedom in this interactive story-map.

On July 29, 1895, the First National Conference for Colored Women of America drew delegates from African American women’s clubs across the country to Boston. Presided over by Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, the conference provided Black clubwomen the opportunity to discuss issues relating to race and gender, resulting in the creation of a new national organization.

First published on January 1, 1831, 'The Liberator' quickly became the preeminent abolitionist newspaper in the United States. Edited by the fiery activist William Lloyd Garrison, this weekly Boston-based periodical served as a major platform to attack slavery and its supporters, inspire action, and promote equal rights for all.

Sergeant William H. Carney Jr. enlisted in the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment, and became the first African American recipient of the Medal of Honor for his brave actions during the battle at Fort Wagner. Respected around the nation, he dedicated the rest of his life to family, community, and public service.