Anacostia Community Museum

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The Anacostia Community Museum is one of the nation's Smithsonian museums. According to the museum website, it exists to "to challenge perceptions, broaden perspectives, generate new knowledge, and deepen understanding about the ever-changing concepts and realities of "community.'" Initial goals focused on African American history. However, as of now, the museum endeavors to represent the concept of community from the local to international levels.

In nearly all cases on the website, content loads at the very bottom of the page, so be sure to scroll down.

For those of you not in the DC area, the museum provides two activities—collections search and online exhibits. The exhibit on Adam Francis Plummer, a slave in Maryland, is particularly of note. The exhibit includes a downloadable PDF file of Plummer's diary; essays on the Plummer family and slavery in Maryland; a glossary; and guided reading and worksheets intended for middle and high school students. "Speak to My Heart: Communities of Faith and Contemporary African American Life" includes a series of oral history transcripts.

Naturally, this being a museum, a field trip would be an optimal way to take advantage of the organization's offerings. Take a look at the museum's group tour information, current programs, and library.

Uncivil Wars

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From the Kansas State Historical Society website:

"African American soldiers were rare during the Civil War, and black officers almost non-existent. Thirty years later, Major John Brown from Topeka led soldiers to Cuba during the Spanish-American War using this saber."

Mudtown Doll

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From the Kansas State Historical Society website:

"A decade before the end of segregation, a kind woman and a little girl broke through racial barriers in Topeka. This handmade African American doll symbolizes a bond between whites and blacks in the Mudtown neighborhood during the 1940s."

African Burial Ground

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From the Bowery Boys website:

"During the construction of a downtown federal administration building, an extraordinary find was discovered—the remnants of a burial ground used by African slaves during the 18th Century.

In the earliest days of New Amsterdam, the first Africans were brought against their will to help build the new Dutch port, slaves for a city that would be built upon their backs. Later, forced to repress the cultural expressions of their forefathers, the early black population of British New York did preserve their heritage in the form of burial rites, in a small 'Negro Burial Ground' to the south of Collect Pond (and just a couple short blocks to today's City Hall).

How did this small plot of land&#8212:and its astounding contents—become preserved in the middle of the most bustling area of the most bustling city in the world? And why is it considered one of the most spectacular archaelogical finds in New York City history?"

Presidents, Politics, and Social Content

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From the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum website:

"How did the Apollo program intersect with the whirling social and political climate of the 1960s and early 1970s? Three presidential administrations oversaw the Apollo space program, and each reacted in a different way. Senior curator Roger Launius will focus on the myth of presidential leadership during this time period and will provide context to the political challenges NASA faced with the failure of Apollo I. Curators Allan Needell and Margaret Weitekamp will discuss the fascinating intersections of Ralph Abernathy, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Moon landing and will analyze several political cartoons from the period."

They Had a Dream, Too

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This 28-minute mini-documentary, intended for 11th and 12th grade students, focuses on the stories of young people who took part in the civil rights movement protests of the 1950s and the 1960s. It begins with the story of the Little Rock Nine, the first African American students to attend Central High School, AR, following Brown v. Board of Education; continues with interviews with people who participated in the movement as children and teenagers; and ends with present-day examples of struggles for civil rights.

Curriculum to complement the video is available at the same URL as the video, below.

The Sound of Freedom: Marian Anderson and the Concert That Awakened America

Description

From the Constitution Center website:

"2009 marks the 70th anniversary of one of the most dramatic concerts in American history: world famous African American contralto Marian Anderson's concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. In a conversation moderated by scholar Sheldon Hackney, award-winning historian Raymond Arsenault tells the story of Marian Anderson, one of the most enduring and iconic figures of the civil rights movement. Through immense raw talent and unrelenting determination, Anderson overcame racial prejudice to inspire all Americans and to become one of the greatest singers of her time."

To listen to this lecture, scroll to the August 12th, 2009, program.