At Beacon Hill Scholars, we're dedicated to raising awareness and appreciation of the vibrant African American community that existed on Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachusetts in the 19th century.
This extraordinary community helped to galvanize a national movement to end slavery and win civil and political rights for all. Learn more with these engaging resources:
The Big Picture: How did Indigenous, African, and African-American people in colonial and independent America resist slavery? How did abolition evolve from the passionate cause of a dedicated few into an ultimately victorious national movement? Read our overview essay.
Year-by-Year: Explore the history of the struggle against slavery in our timeline, Making Freedom: Resisting and Abolishing Slavery in New England and Beyond. It contains more than 250 entries about the people, politics, and key events that shaped a defining period of our nation's history. You can search the timeline by year or by topic.
Abolition Acre! The area in and around City Hall Plaza in downtown Boston, Massachusetts was a hotbed of abolitionist activity back in the day. Take a self-guided tour of Abolition Acre! A Black Freedom Trail in Boston – in person or virtually – with the help of our recorded narration. You can also view the short film, Abolition Acre!
Unsung Heroes: The Beacon Hill community was home to some of the most dynamic and influential abolitionist leaders you’ve probably never heard of. Meet David Walker, Maria W. Stewart, Lewis and Harriet Hayden, Robert Morris, William Cooper Nell, and others.
"There are no chains so galling as the chains of ignorance." – Maria W. Stewart
