The Tuskegee Experiment: A Lived Experience

From 1932 to 1972, Black men in rural Alabama were denied treatment for syphilis by government doctors. These images from the National Archives tell their story, 50 years later.

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Scientists' original intention before the study began was to find ways of effectively treating syphilis in Black communities. It soon devolved into an attempt to discover if the disease affected Black people differently than White folks.

Photo By National Archives

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