american history. the opening session is on african-americans and religion. while we wait for the conference to begin, a look at a 2011 trip to a storage site in a washington, d.c. suburb with the director of the smithsonian national museum of african american history and culture. he showed us some of the artifacts that will be on display in the new museum, opening on the national mall, september 24, 2016. right now, we are in the storage units of the national museum of african american history and culture. in essence, this is the heart of the museum of. because what s behind me, and what we will see today are many of the objects that are going to be the soul of this museum. this is an opportunity to sort of preview some of the material that the public will see when the museum opens in stores. the story of the african-american experience is both a story of resiliency at achievement, but it s also a story of struggle. parts ofe hard exploring this history is that were athe p
and historic preservation and interpretation, and about how african american history fits into the larger narrative of american history. next, the opening session on african american religion. this event was cohosted by the smithsonian museum of african american history and culture and the american historical association. it is an hour and 40 minutes. thank you for joining us on this rainy day in washington, d.c. this panel attempts to answer the simple but complex question, what is african american religion? , at leastn america the vast majority, were chattel to be bought and sold, exploited, and often cast aside when every ounce of value had been extracted an. but unlike the livestock listed alongside them at state inventories and at auction, this peculiar brand of property sought to preserve their humanity. in their relationships with each other, in the establishment and operation of their social institutions, and especially in their sacred beliefs. percentof african ado
rainy day in washington, d.c. i am honored to be the chair of this panel which attempts to answer the simple, yet in many ways, complex question, what is african-american religion. africans in america, the vast majority, were by law chattel, to be bought and sold, exploited unapologetically and often cast aside once every ounce of value had been extracted. but unlike the livestock that was listed alongside them on the state inventories and at auctions, this peculiar brand of property fought to assert and preserve their humanity, in their relations with each other, in the establishment and operation of their social institutions, and especially in their sacred beliefs. peoples of african descent adopted a belief system that adopted their ethnicities in the particular circumstances that shaped their lives and labor. time and experiences altered and redefined the beliefs and practices familiar to the ancestors. the descendents of these men and women adopted new ways of looking at
african-american religion. african americans beene of the value had extracted. unlike livestock, this particular brand of this peculiar brand of property fought to preserve their humanity in their relationships with each other, in the establishment and operation of social institutions, and especially in their sacred beliefs. peoples of african descent adopted a belief system that reflected their diverse ethnicities and the systems that shaped their lives and labor. the descendents of these men and adopted new ways of looking at the world and their place and it. but like those before them, they adopted religion as means to challenge as well as cope with the realities of their life in america. institutionalized religion constituted the core of the african-american community and freedom. it was the center of training for black leadership, the blackin that connected people in common cause, including in protest of their oppression. growing up in rural virginia in the six these,
the federal government for road production was the national road that extended from cumberland, maryland, to wheeling, virginia. and one of the reasons for that was ohio had become a state in 1803. the country was moving west. we need to find a way of tying these new western areas in with the capital. and the easiest way of doing that in the early 19th century was to put in a road. so that road will eventually extend from baltimore westward into cumberland, maryland, uniontown, washington, pa, and then in 1818 it comes here to wheeling. when it comes here to wheeling that will give this community which at that time is about 50 years old it gives it the real spurt it needs to grow. over the next 20 to 25 years the population of wheeling will almost triple. wheeling starts as an outpost on the frontier. that river was the western extent of the united states in the 1770 s. it s going to be a very small community. most of the buildings will be made out of logs and some kind of