U.S. History (Civil War and Reconstruction)
John Ericsson: The Swede that Saved the Union
TweetShareShareWhen it comes to America’s naval history, few had more influence on battleship design than a man named John Ericsson. In fact, it’s a Swedish story better than ABBA. Ericsson was a Swedish American who revolutionized steamship propulsion through his invention of the screw propeller. He also invented the first submarine boat, self-propelled torpedo and…
Read MoreDred Scott: The Man Behind the U.S. Supreme Court’s Worst Decision
TweetShareShareMany legal scholars believe the Dred Scott decision was the worst by a U.S. Supreme Court. Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes called it the Supreme Court’s “greatest self-inflicted wound.” But why did it happen? Who was Dred Scott? And why should we know his story? DRED SCOTT was born a slave in Virginia (1799). His…
Read MoreThe Oregon Trail: How Christianity Carved a New Path West
TweetShareShareOregon. Washington. Idaho. Parts of Montana and Wyoming. It’s nearly 300,000 acres of majestic, rugged land known as the Oregon Territory, a portion of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The infamous Oregon Trail snakes through this vast estate, connecting the Great Plains to the Pacific Ocean. Thousands of westward wagons once traveled its corridors and…
Read MoreMemorial Day: How Former Slaves Created a National Holiday
TweetShareShare American summers are built around three holidays: Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. Memorial Day and Labor Day are the bookends. The July 4th celebration is the centerpiece. Most Americans view Memorial Day as the “kickoff” for summer…and it is. But there’s much more to this holiday than we think. Unfortunately, many contemporary…
Read MoreHiram R. Revels: The Tar Heel Who Became America’s First Black U.S. Senator
TweetShareShare Some people make things happen. Some people watch things happen. And some people wonder what happened. And then there are people like Hiram Rhodes Revels (1827-1901). He’s a cut above. A leader’s leader. A highly-accomplished man. One of black history’s dusty and oft-forgotten heroes. Rhodes was a freeborn black in North Carolina.…
Read MoreBooker T. Washington: The Tuskegee Titan
TweetShareShareHe’s on a very short list of highly influential Black Americans. He was a prolific author, outstanding orator, influential educator and inspiring leader. He was among the last Black American generation born into slavery. His name was Booker T. Washington (1856-1915). Booker was born into slavery in Virginia, sometime in 1856. After Lincoln emancipated the…
Read MoreGeorge Washington Carver: God’s Peanut Man
TweetShareShare“When you can do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.” These weren’t just words to George Washington Carver (1864-1943). They were his legacy. Few Americans lived bigger and better lives. Carver was born a slave, but eventually became a botanist, educator, conservationist, and artist.…
Read MoreBiddy Mason: The Mormon Slave That Became a Californian Treasure
TweetShareShare“Biddy” spent nearly forty years as a slave for a Mississippi slave master. She never learned to read or write. And yet she saved her midwife salary to become a wealthy Black real estate magnate…and revered philanthropist. It’s quite the story. It’s also an inspiring tale that proves it’s not how you start life that…
Read MoreRobert James Harlan: Ohio’s Political Powerhouse
TweetShareShareRobert James Harlan (1816-1897) may have been born a slave but he lived most of his life free as a bird. And this Ohio bird could sing…and travel…and succeed. Born in Virginia on December 12, 1816. Harlan’s mother was mulatto, and his father was white. Consequently, Robert’s light-skinned complexion often helped him. As a young…
Read MoreAntoine Dubuclet, Jr.: The Cajun Savior of Louisiana
TweetShareShareHe was one of America’s wealthiest Black businessmen. As a Republican State Treasurer he saved debt-ridden Louisiana following the Civil War. But his story runs counter to many of the popular narratives in Black history today. Consequently, it’s a tale that worth telling. His name is Antoine Dubuclet, Jr. (1810-1887). He was a sugar planter…
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