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Category Archives: Slavery
Beyond the 150th: Where academic and public historians are one and the same
by Rebekeh Oakes, part of an ongoing series One hundred and fifty years ago, the sleepy town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania became the sight of a bloody three-day battle immortalized in the American consciousness. This past March, Gettysburg College was flooded … Continue reading
Hotel De’Afrique: The first safe haven for African Americans in North Carolina
The capture of the Confederate forts located at Hatteras Inlet on August 29, 1861, provided the first Union victory of the Civil War. Almost immediately fugitive slaves began arriving on Hatteras Island in search of freedom. In a letter to … Continue reading
Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Monuments, Slavery
Tagged Fort Clark, Fort Hatteras, Freedmen's Colony, Hotel De'Afrique, OBX, Outer Banks
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Mississippi Finally “Bans” Slavery
So you may have heard that last week Mississippi finally banned slavery. Now this is not to say that the state has been stuck in an Antebellum/Civil War timewarp for the past century and a half. But apparently there were … Continue reading
Winter at White Oak Church
Between the ill-fated campaigns of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, the Union Army of the Potomac spent the winter months of 1862-1863 encamped across the whole of Stafford County, Virginia. There are countless landmarks noted in the diaries, memories and letters of … Continue reading
Posted in Armies, Battlefields & Historic Places, Emerging Civil War, Monuments, Slavery
Tagged Sixth Corps, White Oak Church
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Watch Night: The 150th Anniversary
December 31, 2012 was the 150th anniversary of “Watch Night.” On New Year’s Eve, like many African-Americans, I go to church to celebrate Watch Night. Depending on which church you attend, you may have a midnight Mass, have a special church … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Slavery
Tagged Abe Lincoln, Emancipation Proclamation, Frederick Douglass, Watch Night
6 Comments
The Civil War is Everywhere; Just for Laughs
For the holidays my parents, fiancé, and I traveled to the Caribbean for a Christmas Cruise. Being a history enthusiast, I sought out some history during our trip, which in San Juan, Puerto Rico means the two forts of Castillo … Continue reading
The Meaning of the Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation changed the course of the war, from protecting the Union to redefining freedom. But far from being the bringer of widespread freedom to all enslaved peoples, the Proclamation was very limited in its power. Emancipation Proclamation The … Continue reading
150 Years Ago: The Emancipation Proclamation
By the President of the United States of America: A Proclamation. Whereas, on the twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United … Continue reading
1862: Year of Emancipation
The United States did not enter the Civil War with the intent to destroy slavery. However, by the end of the war in 1865 slavery had been dealt its death blow. 1862 proved a critical turning point in the process … Continue reading
Posted in Civil War Events, Leadership--Federal, Politics, Sesquicentennial, Slavery
Tagged Abraham Lincoln, Ambrose Burnside, Battle of Antietam, Battle of Fredericksburg, Benjamin Butler, Confiscation Act, contraband, Edwin Stanton, emancipation, Emancipation Proclamation, Fort Monroe, Fugitive Slave Law, George McClellan, Gideon Welles, John Pope, Lincoln's Cabinet, Preliminary Proclamation, Robert E. Lee, Second Confiscation Act, slavery, William H. Seward
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The Sesquicentennial of Stones River
Don’t forget the sesquicentennial of the Battle of Stones River, going on now in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The battle itself took place Dec. 31, 1862-Jan. 2, 1863, but 150 years ago right now, the armies were moving into position. For more … Continue reading
