Freedom and equality

This extended argument calls for women to receive an education that develops their reason. Wollstonecraft challenges Rousseau's claim that girls should be educated mainly to please men.

6h 10m reading time

This life story follows an enslaved woman's struggle to escape abuse and secure freedom for herself and her children. She spends nearly seven years hidden in a cramped attic near her children.

5h 56m reading time

A man born into slavery in Maryland tells his own life story, from childhood to his escape to freedom. As a boy, he traded bread with poor white children so they would teach him to read.

2h 46m reading time

This life story follows a man through enslavement, sea voyages, and the purchase of his freedom. He describes saving forty pounds to buy his freedom while working aboard trading ships.

5h 29m reading time

Essays, personal memories, and stories examine Black life in America after slavery. A moving chapter recalls the death of the author's young son.

5h 6m reading time

This essay argues for women's equality in marriage, education, and public life. Mill questions how anyone can know women's abilities when laws and customs restrict their choices.

2h 52m reading time

This short account describes Spanish violence against Indigenous peoples during the conquest of the Americas. Its reports move from Hispaniola to mainland regions, recording killings, forced labor, and the destruction of communities.

2h 5m reading time

This personal essay reflects on being Black through memories of childhood and encounters with white Americans. Hurston recalls watching travelers pass through Eatonville, Florida, from her seat on a gatepost.

8 min reading time

This life story recounts an enslaved woman's experiences in Bermuda, the Caribbean, and England. Her account describes the painful work of collecting salt in the Turks Islands.

1h 45m reading time

This autobiography follows a man's journey from slavery to leadership of the Tuskegee school in Alabama. His entrance test at Hampton required him to sweep a classroom until it was spotless.

4h 56m reading time

This autobiography follows a Jamaican woman's travels and her work caring for soldiers during the Crimean War. She describes running the British Hotel near the battlefield, where she sold supplies and offered care.

4h 11m reading time