Beginning with the founding of America, African Americans created new visions of freedom that have benefited all Americans. The paradox of the American Revolution—the fight for liberty in an era of widespread slavery—is embedded in the foundation of the US #ANationsStory #July4th

Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence and called slavery an “abominable crime,” yet he was a lifelong slaveholder. His statue stands in our Slavery & Freedom exhibition with the names of the 600 men, women and children he enslaved at Monticello. #ANationsStory

The tension between slavery and freedom—who belongs & who is excluded—resonates through the nation's history & spurs the American people to interfere constantly with building "a more perfect union." This paradox was embedded in national institutions that are still vital today.

Frederick Douglass explored this paradox in his "What to the slave is the fourth of July?" speech, emphasizing that American slavery & freedom is a shared history & that the actions of ordinary men & women to demand freedom, transformed our nation. More: http://s.si.edu/2KP6Ww2