Civil War to Civil Rights

Delve into the legacies of the Civil War

Historical photo of a unidentified African American Woman from Lynchburg

Explore the history of African American education through the stories of several Virginia educators. How did emancipation affect education? How have people fought for equal access to education in the United States?


Historic print of the 54th Massachusetts Colored Troops charging a Confederate troop into battle

Explore the various ways African American people–enslaved and free, forced or by choice–contributed to the war effort. Using images and letters, delve into the lives of real people who were part of the Civil War.


Through infographics and newspaper clippings, explore the role that family and kinship ties played in helping enslaved people cope with the condition of slavery, as well as what challenges people faced with finding and rebuilding their families after emancipation.


Scan of a labor contract

How did life change for formerly enslaved people after emancipation? How did it stay the same?


A detail from a Harper's Weekly Newspaper image of a older Black man casting his vote for the first time in Virginia. There is a line of Black men behind him also waiting to cast their vote

How did people of color fight for equal rights, and in what ways did systems oppression keep them from achieving rights in reality?