The achievements of Frederick Douglass are well known, as are those of Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and other heroic African-Americans during the Civil War period. Fewer people have ever heard of Robert Smalls, Phyllis Wheatley, Elizabeth Keckley, Benjamin Banneker, or countless others of African descent who helped to build the American nation. Regardless of renown or obscurity, all the aforementioned names deserve ongoing, in-depth study in U.S. history classes, and this film offers a wealth of dramatized narratives to support that crucial learning. From the remarkable story of Abdul Rahman Ibrahima, the African prince sold into slavery on a Mississippi plantation, to the White House meeting in which Douglass urged President Lincoln to uphold the honor and dignity of the Union's black soldiers, each segment reenacts a pivotal moment in history - not just African-American history, but the chronicle of the country as a whole. Advancements made by black scientists, inventors, artists, and craftspeople are studied.

Encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on April 29, 2013. Learn360 is distributed by Infobase for Films for the Humanities & Sciences, Cambridge Educational, Meridian Education, and Shopware.

Introduction: Filling the Gap: A Forgotten Chapter of American History (1:09) -- Frederick Douglass--Abolitionist and Recruiter (5:35) -- Abd Al Rahman Ibrahima 1828 (3:36) -- Introduction: Harry Burney (1:27) -- Benjamin Banneker (1:46) -- Phillis Wheatley (0:41) -- Benjamin Bradley (1:16) -- Benjamin Montgomery (0:46) -- Gilbert Hunt (2:34) -- Dave The Slave Potter (2:02) -- Mary Barbour (1:42) -- Thomas Day (1:28) -- Horace King (1:11) -- Elizabeth Keckley and Soujourner Truth (3:25) -- Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley (3:38) -- Skilled Artisans of Color Contribute to America's Wealth and Power (3:23) -- Soujourner Truth (9:15) -- Civil War Changes the Nation (4:22) -- Charlotte Forten--Teacher (1:17) -- Frederick Douglass (1:16) -- Contraband of War (1:22) -- Southern Slaves in the Union Army (2:22) -- Elizabeth Bowser - Union Army Spy (2:46) -- Harriet Tubman (3:37) -- Black Soldiers Treated Unfairly (5:09) -- Spirit of the Black Soldier (2:46) -- Robert Smalls (2:40) -- A Black American President (3:48) -- Credits: Filling the Gap: A Forgotten Chapter of American History (3:08).