Museum of African American History explores Black experiences during the American Revolution
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In the midst of the MA250 celebrations exploring the history of the American Revolution and the establishment of the United States, Boston’s Museum of African American History (MAAH) has launched an exhibition exploring Black experiences during the revolutionary period.
“Black Voices of the Revolution: Liberty, Emancipation and the Struggle for Independence,” on view at the Abiel Smith School on Joy Street in Beacon Hill, tells the stories of daily life for Black men and women in Revolutionary-era Boston. Both enslaved and free experiences are showcased through artifacts, artworks and interactive AI-driven technology.
A visitor to the “Black Voices of the Revolution” exhibition at MAAH tries one of the interactivve displays. PHOTO: Courtesy of the Museum of African American History
For Angela Tate, chief curator and director of collections at MAAH, this exhibition has been an informative experience. “Black Voices” is Tate’s first exhibition in her new role since she was appointed in August 2024. Coming from Virginia and California, Tate had a very different perspective on this period of American history.
“The histories of this era are taught very differently in those two states,” said Tate. “It’s two very different relationships with the same government, the same empire, but different perspectives based on the culture and the norms and the history and traditions that differ between the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”
From left: Kate Fox, executive director of the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism; Dr. Noelle Trent, president of MAAH; and chief curator Angela Tate unveil the new exhibit together. PHOTO: Courtesy of the Museum of African American History
The exhibition uses AI technology from TimeLooper that MAAH has explored before in the making a holographic, interactive Frederick Douglass on view in the African Meeting House. In a similar style, visitors can interact with historical figures from the revolutionary period, ask them questions and get information directly from primary source documents.
“Instead of just reading a document on the wall or looking at a document and a case, these are very interactive experiences that allow you to immerse yourself into the history,” Tate said
This strategy makes primary historical sources more accessible to visitors and starts a dialogue about the material. Tate says one of her goals is to encourage an interactive discussion rather than visitors taking the curators perspective as gospel.
PHOTO: Courtesy of the Museum of African American History
Highlights from the archaeological collection of the museum are also presented in this exhibition for the first time. These are materials that have been excavated from the museum sites in Boston and Nantucket and include artifacts like an iron from the 1800s and a paint pot and grindstone related to the Wampanoag population.
Tate says having these artifacts from historic sites is a unique feature MAAH can offer. Many traditional museums are not built in and around historic areas and can’t offer that kind of physical history. MAAH is teaching the history of its own land.
PHOTO: Courtesy of the Museum of African American History
“I want people to see this period in American history in a new way, through the eyes of the Black individuals who helped shape the ideas and ideals about what would eventually become the United States of America — and how the persistent presence of slavery challenged them,” she said.
“Black Voices of the Revolution: Liberty, Emancipation and the Struggle for Independence” is on view through 2026. Museum tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for seniors and youths aged 5-17.
Many of the themes in the show, such as the exploration of what the words “freedom” and “liberty” mean, are relevant to the current moment. The exhibition will provide both historical context and the opportunity to explore the ways the country continues to evolve.
“This timely exhibit will introduce audiences to the often-untold stories of Black men and women who contributed to their fledgling nation while fighting for their own independence,” said Dr. Noelle Trent, president and CEO of MAAH. “The brave people represented in “Black Voices of the Revolution” — artists, activists, farmers, soldiers and sailors — forged a new path for those who followed.”
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