African American Lives

S1 • E1

Listening to Our Past

Episode Four presents fascinating discoveries about participants' lineages thanks to DNA analysis.

S1 • E2

The Promise of Freedom

From the early 20th century to the end of the Civil War, a look at how African Americans defined their freedom after slavery. Dr. Gates learns that courthouse records of land acquisitions, documents from the Freedmen's Bureau and the 1870 census prove important resources for tracing the participants' lineage through Reconstruction.

S1 • E3

Searching for Our Names

S1 • E4

Beyond the Middle Passage

Dr. Gates visits scientists around the country using DNA analysis to trace ancestral roots. He and one participant make the last leg of the journey, back to Africa, visiting the West African port from which the participant's patrilineal ancestor was likely shipped into slavery, and meeting tribal elders whose DNA suggests are the participant's cousins.