‘Free State of Jones’: Mississippi County Rebelled Against the Confederacy

Free State of Jones is a 2016 American historical war film inspired by the life of Newton Knight and his armed revolt against the Confederacy in Jones County, Mississippi, throughout the American Civil War. (more from Wikipedia). It's also an astonishing book by Sally Jenkins and John Sauffer. "From 1863 to 1866, residents of Jones County, MS engaged in an insurrection against the Confederacy that …

The Jim Crow Era: A Stain On America’s Past

Wondrium: "An African American named Homer Plessy predated Rosa Parks' famous refusal to comply with racist transportation laws by more than 60 years. The Supreme Court upheld his conviction for sitting in a whites-only train car in Plessy v. Ferguson, leading to the Jim Crow era. Discover hard history and how "separate but equal" was …

Despite Backlash, This AP African American Studies Class Perseveres

Stay Tuned, an NBC News Brand: "Over a dozen states in recent years have implemented restrictions limiting how teachers discuss racism. We visit an AP African American studies class in Virginia that garnered significant backlash and almost didn’t happen. The teacher of the class says, “It’s just history,” but for a class in the political …

Descendants of Africans on Slave Ship Seek Reconciliation with Family of Alabama Enslaver

60 Minutes: "Descendants of the enslaved Africans brought to Alabama on the last known slave ship met with the family of the ship’s financier to discuss reconciliation." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4BWi5JuuRg Related: The Clotilda: A Centuries-Old Open Secret: A guide exploring the significance of the last known slave ship in the United States, The Clotilda. In 1860, partners …

Nikki Haley, the Causes of the Civil War, Neo-Confederates, and Slavery

The American Civil War echoes in the 2024 presidential race, probably not for the last time. Presidential candidate Nikki Haley, with the crucial, do-or-die South Carolina Feb. 24 primary on her mind, was asked at a Republican forum in New Hampshire to explain the causes of the U.S. Civil War. She did not mention slavery. …

The North Was Built on Slavery: New England’s Hidden History

"In the year 1755, a black slave named Mark Codman plotted to kill his abusive master. A God-fearing man, Codman had resolved to use poison, reasoning that if he could kill without shedding blood, it would be no sin. Arsenic in hand, he and two female slaves poisoned the tea and porridge of John Codman …

Juneteenth Celebrations Spread Around the US

The holiday of Juneteenth, celebrating the end of slavery in 1865 was first recognized by Congress and President Biden as a paid day off for federal workers in 2021. About 39 percent of private employers are giving workers time off. "Historic sites linked to enslavement and emancipation are getting new attention — and funding for …

‘Dr. Livingstone, I Presume?’ The Life and Times of an Explorer in Africa

Smithsonian.com: “Doctor Livingstone, I presume?” is the now-famous greeting spoken on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in November 1871 by Welsh-American journalist and explorer Henry Morgan Stanley. The moment was the culmination of Stanley’s expedition to locate explorer and missionary (Scottish physician) David Livingstone, who had been missing in Africa for more than four years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UOkApfRs9A …

Nat Turner Slave Rebellion of 1831 and Its Legacy

In August of 1831, "enslaved American Nat Turner led about 70 of his enslaved and free Black neighbors in a rebellion to awaken his white neighbors to the inherent brutality of slaveholding and the dangers it presented to their own safety," wrote Boston College History Professor Heather Cox Richardson. She goes on to explain its …

Story of the 54th, the First Black Regiment for the Union in the Civil War, Still Inspires

In July of 1863, "at dusk, the Black soldiers of the Massachusetts 54th Volunteer Infantry of the U.S. Army charged the walls of Fort Wagner, a fortification on Morris Island off Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. Because Fort Wagner covered the southern entrance to the harbor, it was key to enabling the U.S. government to …