Black History Month

A 25-minute, first-person theatrical performance about Elizabeth Freeman — a Massachusetts woman who sued for her freedom from enslavement and won — will be performed by actress Katelyn E. Appiah-Kubi and was written by playwright Teresa Miller.

Meet a teenaged James Forten as he learns the sailmaking trade alongside his father and encounters people in his community who help him decide to serve as a privateer during the Revolutionary War. After a successful first tour as a privateer capturing British merchant ships, Forten is captured by the British and serves time on the prison ship Jersey in 1781. The 20-minute performance of Meet Young James Forten stars Nathan Alford-Tate and is available to watch online.

Set in 1838, meet 72-year-old James Forten as he speaks with his friend Daniel Brewton about the nearby ruins of Pennsylvania Hall. That same year, Forten, who witnessed a reading of the Declaration of Independence and served two tours as a privateer, lost the right vote when Pennsylvania disenfranchised all Black men. The 20-minute performance of Meet Elder James Forten stars Steve Crum and is available to watch online. It is best enjoyed by guests ages 9 and up.

Deborah's Choice is a first-person theatrical performance starring Taylor J. Mitchell that brings to life the decisions faced by 16-year-old Deborah, who was enslaved at Mount Vernon, as she decides whether to seek freedom or stay behind.

The Museum’s virtual resources are always available, including the new Finding Freedom digital interactive, which examines the stories of enslaved people of African descent in Virginia who followed different paths to freedom during the Revolutionary War. These stories are also available to explore in the Museum’s galleries via a touchscreen kiosk.

Nearly 200 rare documents, including original muster rolls, pay vouchers, enlistment papers, and discharge forms, bear the names of Black and Native American soldiers who served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War are part of the Museum's Patriots of Color Archive. Documents from the archive are now accessible to everyone at no cost, thanks to a partnership with Ancestry, the global leader in family history, as part of their commitment to preserving history that is at risk of being forgotten.

Explore other personal, often-unfamiliar stories of free and enslaved people of African descent during the Revolutionary era. Learn about Deborah Squash, who ran away from Mount Vernon and sought protection with the British Army; Olaudah Equiano, who purchased his own freedom and published a memoir of his experiences; and Crispus Attucks, a dockworker of African and Native descent who was killed during the Boston Massacre and is considered by many historians to be the first casualty of the American Revolution; among many others.