Learning Path: How Power Is Built

A clear overview of how convict leasing replaced slavery with a new labor system shaped by race, economics, and state power, and how this model influenced modern incarceration and labor practices.

In the mid-20th century, American cities promised “progress.” Leaders called it urban renewal — a way to modernize neighborhoods, clear “blight,” and build new infrastructure. But for many communities, especially Black neighborhoods, renewal meant something else: removal. Homes were bulldozed, businesses destroyed, and entire cultural districts erased in the name of development.

American democracy expanded through struggle, not consensus. Black Americans have been central to widening participation and redefining who democracy is for.

Race and nationality weren’t always linked — they became intertwined through law and policy. This article explores how identity, citizenship, and belonging were shaped across communities by the merging of racial and national identity in American history.

Obstetric medicine didn’t develop in a vacuum. This article explores how childbirth care in early America was shaped by gender, race, power, exclusion, and the dismissal of community-based knowledge.

Imagine if the neighborhood you lived in determined whether you could buy a home, get a loan, or even build wealth for your children — not because of what you did, but because of the color of your skin. This isn’t just a “what if” story. It’s the reality millions of Americans lived through, and its ripple effects are still with us today.

Voters are supposed to choose their leaders. But in many cases, it works the other way around: leaders choose their voters. That’s the power of gerrymandering — the manipulation of political district boundaries to give one party or group an advantage. It’s not new, but its impact today is as strong as ever.

Race in America didn’t appear on its own — it was constructed through laws, forms, and policies that shaped who belonged where. This article explores how those early decisions still shape opportunity and identity today.

Forced reproduction wasn’t an accident of slavery — it was a system that shaped family life, labor, wealth, and identity across early America. This article explores how it worked and why its legacy still matters.

Police weren’t always armed like soldiers. Militarization grew through policy choices, funding incentives, and fear—and it reshaped everyday policing.

An exploration of how slave patrols shaped early American law enforcement—and why their legacy still influences policing today.

An exploration of why some industries still resist unions, how employer strategies evolved over time, and what workers risk when they try to organize today.

Surveillance in the U.S. didn’t begin with technology. From slave patrols to digital monitoring, systems of oversight evolved unevenly—and their effects still shape daily life.