Millions of enslaved people lived on plantations, private homes, and universities before emancipation. Enslavers often created financial and personal records to track, count, and inventory families and individuals laboring on their land.

All throughout the slavery era in pre- and post-colonial America, individuals and families of African descent pursued paths to freedom. Most famously, people used the Underground Railroad to escape, but other enslaved people turned to legal channels to gain emancipation.

Prior to emancipation, Black soldiers served both voluntarily and involuntarily in conflicts in what is now the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. Enslaved and free men took part in colonial wars (1609–1775), the Revolutionary War (1775–1783), the War of 1812 (1812–1815), and the Civil War (1861–1865).

While historically Black institutions, organizations, and churches have played a pivotal role in the lives of men, women, and children of African descent after emancipation, some of these organizations were also central to enslaved people in pre- and post-colonial America.

The most powerful, poignant, and detailed records of formerly enslaved persons are first-person accounts collected in the pre- and post-emancipation eras. The oral tradition of persons of African descent and enslaved persons helped Black family history and culture survive.