Discover the
Birthplace of the Boston Abolitionist Movement

Still Making American History

At the Museum of African American History, we connect you to inspiring, authentic representations of life in the 18th and 19th centuries. Experience their heroic stories.

 

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FEEL EMPOWERED
SHARE THEIR STORIES

Celebrate Black History Month 365 

Know the past, shape the future.


There are missing pages in the history books.

Where are the important stories of African Americans who changed the course of American history in the 18th and 19th centuries? You can find them here at the Museum of African American History Boston and Nantucket.

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Connect to inspiring, authentic representations of life in the 18th and 19th centuries — in a unique place where Black communities organized and advanced the cause of freedom.

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The African Meeting House, a registered National Historic Landmark, and Abiel Smith School on Beacon Hill were built in the early 1800s and are two of the museum's most valuable assets. Located steps away from the Massachusetts State House.

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Explore our Nantucket campus, which features two historic sites, the African Meeting House and the Florence Higginbotham House. These buildings were at the center of a thriving nineteenth-century African American community on the island.

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We understand the importance of
remembering our history.

Welcome to The Museum of African American History! We are New England’s largest museum dedicated to preserving, conserving and interpreting the contributions of African Americans. In Boston and Nantucket, the Museum has preserved two historic sites and two Black Heritage Trails® that tell the story of organized Black communities from the Colonial Period through the 19th century. Exhibits, programs, and education activities at the Museum showcase the powerful stories of Black families who worshipped, educated their children, debated the issues of the day, produced great art, organized politically and advanced the cause of freedom.

"In every human Beast, God has implanted a Principle, which we call Love of Freedom; it is impatient of Oppression, and pants for Deliverance."

- Phillis Wheatley, African American Poet

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Explore the Museum & Get Connected

Exhibits
Exhibits

Exhibits

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Education Programs

Events
Events

Events

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Facility Rentals

Online-reading
Online-reading

In the News

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Plan Your Visit

Step1
Reserve Your Ticket

Choose a date, reserve your ticket, and learn something new every time you visit.

Step2
Experience the Museum (Virtually)

Explore exhibits, sign-up for a customized talk or schedule a tour, and discover the stories of courageous Americans on a guided walking tour of the Museum’s Black Heritage Trails®.

Step3
Leave Inspired & Empowered

Continue the conversation and share the authentic stories of New Englanders of African descent, and those who found common cause with them, in their quest for freedom and justice.

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"For over 200 years, the African Meeting House has served as one of the nation’s most important and influential centers of cultural and political discourse around racial equality. Today, the Museum of African American History invokes this important history—in the very place it happened—to open new conversations around racial equity... and expand its narrative of Black and other social justice activists. … and underscore how their courage, as they united across race and class in the struggle for human rights, ushered in modern democracy."

- Melissa MacDonnell, Liberty Mutual Foundation President 

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Become a Member Today

Your vital contribution supports the Museum's education programs, research and exhibitions, and historic preservation of some of the nation's most important National Historic Landmarks throughout the year. Join us as we continue to make American history.