Author: Patrick Young
When “The Arrival of Negro Troops” Signaled the End of the Confederacy in the Spring of 1865
Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate army on April 9, 1865. In April and May of 1865 the remaining Confederate forces surrendered to Union armies….
“It is the aim…to make colored troops equal” Black Troops in Tennessee March 1864
In 1863 the Union Army began to actively recruit African American men for the United States Colored Troops (USCT). While enlisted men in these regiments…
Profiles in Courage, Adelbert Ames, JFK and Reconstruction Racism
Today’s New Yorker has an article by Nicholas Lemann on persistent questions he has about John F. Kennedy’s Pulitzer Prize winning book Profiles in Courage….
NPR Reports on the Removal of Statues from Monument Avenue in Richmond
Monument Avenue in Richmond was conceived as a whites-only neighborhood where the heroes of the Confederacy would be honored. NPR has a report on the…
Augusta Georgia’s Monument to the Confederacy and “Reconstruction”
Augusta, Georgia is one of many Southern cities where controversy has enveloped the local Confederate monument. Black Lives Matter rallies have targeted the memorial, calling…
More Eyewitness Accounts from Gettysburg Militia Occupation on July 4
The Journal of the Civil War Era has four blog posts this week on the descent of heavily armed “militias” and racist groups on Gettysburg…
Letter to National Park Service from Historian Critical of “Militia” Occupation of Gettysburg
Photo of peaceful anti-racism procession at Gettysburg on July 19, 2020. h/t Jake Wynn Dr. Jennifer M. Murray is Professor of History at Oklahoma State…
On the Use of the Word “Terrorism” to Describe Violence During Reconstruction: Anachronism?
I am sometimes asked if my using the word “terrorism” to describe racial or political violence during the Reconstruction Era is anachronistic. It isn’t. I…
The 26th United States Colored Troops-A Black Regiment from New York
Today I am starting a new feature, brief looks at African American regiments that served in the Civil War and Reconstruction. Nearly 180,000 African Americans…
New Poll Shows Growing Opposition to Symbols of the Confederacy
The latest Quinnipiac University Poll shows growing opposition to the display of Lost Cause relics like the statues of Confederate leaders. They also now view…