A watercolor depicts Deborah and Harry aboard a ship setting sail for Nova Scotia.

Finding Freedom

Explore the stories of African American men and women in war-torn Virginia.

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About Finding Freedom

Finding Freedom, bronze-level winner of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM)'s 2021 Media & Technology MUSE Award in the category of online experiences, draws from a variety of historical sources and contemporary analysis to try to understand the lives and decisions of five real people of African descent living in Virginia in 1781, as the British and American armies battle across the state. Their stories are told through research-based first-person narratives.

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A watercolor of Deborah, a person of African descent, bringing a bowl of hot food to a white British soldier.

Related Resources

Teacher Resources

Teacher Resources

Modular activities, worksheets, and more, aligned to national history standards.

Primary Sources

Primary Sources

Muster rolls, pension records, letters, and more – these are a selection of the documents that informed our storytelling.

Big Ideas

Short essays to put the stories of Andrew, Deborah, Eve, Jack, and London into historical context.

Glossary

Useful definitions for understanding language in the stories, Big Ideas, and primary sources.

Finding Freedom is made possible with generous support from The Albert M. Greenfield Foundation.

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A costumed interpreter sews sitting in front of the True Colors project in the Museum

Activities

Beyond the Empire

This activity will introduce students to the idea of the Revolutionary War as a global conflict.

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