Banner for Celebrating Juneteenth

Celebrating Juneteenth

 

In commemoration of the legal end of enslavement in the United States, we invite you to explore a selection of materials from the collection of the MHS that relate to the abolitionist movement, the struggle for emancipation, and those who fought for freedom.

See student projects from the 2021-2022 National History Day in Massachusetts that explore topics related to African American history and culture.

<p>Black and white photograph of a middle aged Black woman wearing glasses, a white cap and shawl, a polka-dotted dress, and a jacket and apron. She sits facing the camera with one hand on her hip and her other elbow resting on a small table. In her lap is a small framed photograph of her grandson.</p> Sojourner Truth
Carte de visite by unidentified photographer, [1863] <p>Off-white poster with bold, black text.</p> No Slavery! Fourth of July! The Managers of the Mass. Anti-Slavery Soc'y ...
Broadside <p>A black and white photograph with a yellow tinge depicting a Black woman's face and shoulders in profile. The woman is smiling and her hair is braided and falling over her shoulders.</p> Sarah Parker Remond
Photograph

<p>A pink poster with bold, black text and illustrations of pointing hands to draw the viewer's eye.</p> To Colored Men. 54th Regiment! Massachusetts Volunteers, Of African Descent
Broadside <p>A black and white photograph of a young, Black boy wearing a cap and a large army coat cinched at the waist with a belt standing against a white background. He holds one drumstick in each hand, one of which is resting against a large snare drum which hangs from his neck.</p> Henry A. Monroe, Musician
Carte de visite, circa 1863-1865 <p>Black and white portrait photograph of a Black man wearing a suit jacket and a high, white collar looking toward the center-right. </p> Charles Lenox Remond
Photograph

<p>Sepia photograph of a street and the side of a tall, brick building with four arched windows and doors and a large iron lamp. To the left of the building, a Black woman with a shawl, hat, apron, and long-sleeved dress stands against a wall with her hands clasped together in front of her.</p> African Meeting House, Boston, Massachusetts
Photograph, circa 1892 <p>Black and white photograph of a Black man with a black and white beard and white hair down to his ears facing the camera but looking to the right. He wears a black suit and bow tie. </p> Frederick Douglass
Photograph <p>Double-page spread of a book featuring a black and white illustration of a Black woman sitting at a desk, holding a quill to a piece of paper with one hand and holding the other hand to her chin as if thinking of what to write. She wears a white bonnet and a dress with a white collar. The other page shown in the image features black and white text.</p> Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral
Phillis Wheatley

<p>Painted portrait of a middle aged Black woman, wearing a blue dress with a white wrap at the neck, a white bonnet, and a gold beaded necklace around her collar.</p> Elizabeth Freeman ("Mumbet")
Miniature portrait, watercolor on ivory by Susan Anne Livingston Ridley Sedgwick, 1811 <p>A flag painted on yellowing white silk, somewhat worn. In the upper lefthand corner is a square of blue silk with 13 stars arranged in a circle. In the center is a bounding stag beneath a pine tree. A large cartouche underneath, slightly peeling, reads “The Bucks of America,” smaller cartouche at the top of the image has the initials “J-G-W-H.” painted in gold.</p> Bucks of America flag
Paint on silk , circa 1785-1786 <p>Black and white photograph of a Black woman with her hair parted in the middle and pinned behind her head wearing a black, long-sleeved dress and a triangular lace collar. She sits in a wooden chair with both hands in her lap.</p> Harriet Tubman
Photograph, 1906

<p>Black and white photograph with a white border depicting a room with striped wallpaper and decorated with several portraits with four people in the center, surrounding a table and lamp. An older Black man in a suit with his legs crossed sits across the table from a Black woman in a black dress. Two other Black women in black dresses stand behind the two people seated on either side of the table.</p> George T. Downing [and family]
Copy photograph, circa 1885-1895 <p>An off-white piece of paper printed with black text. </p> By the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation.
Broadside by United States. President (1861-1865 : Lincoln) <p>A pen with a metal nib and a handle of brown wood. </p> Pen used by Abraham Lincoln to sign the Emancipation Proclamation
Pen by Blanzy Poure & Cie, Paris and B. & P. Lawrence, New York, mid-19th century