Spanning the 1740s through the 1830s, the second hour explores the continued expansion of slavery in the colonies, the evolution of a distinct African-American culture and the roots of the emancipation movement.

Spanning the 1740s through the 1830s, the second hour explores the continued expansion of slavery in the colonies, the evolution of a distinct African-American culture and the roots of the emancipation movement. The episode reveals the many ways the enslaved resisted their oppression, their role on both sides of the Revolutionary War, and the strength and inspiration many of them found in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, despite the inherent contradictions that lay in what the documents expressed and what the country practiced. Further emphasizing these inherent contradictions is the profile of the relationship between Thomas Jefferson - the man who wrote so eloquently about liberty - and his life-long servant Jupiter, one of 90 slaves on the Jefferson family plantation. Also featured is the story of Titus. Enslaved in central New Jersey, he fled his cruel master at the onset of the American Revolution and later returned to the area as "Colonel Tye," the leader of a band of black and white guerillas fighting for the British. In fact, far more black people fought for the British than for the colonists, believing they would be freed if the British proved victorious in the Revolution. The second hour introduces Mum Bett, whose successful lawsuit against her owner helped pave the way for the 1783 abolition of slavery in Massachusetts, and David Walker, whose landmark missive An Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World marked the first expression of black nationalism and terrified slave owners by urging black people to empower themselves.