Washington Post Publishes Comments of Plantation Tourists Complaining that They Learned About Slavery!
For about a hundred years, “Plantation Tours” in the South virtually ignored the slaves who made up the vast majority of the people living on…
Prelude to a Reconstruction Riot: Irish and Blacks in Memphis in 1866
Immigrants lived in much of the United States at the start of the Civil War, but their numbers were not evenly distributed. Roughly 90% of…
Self-Taught: African American Education in Slavery and Freedom by Heather Andrea Williams
Self-Taught: African American Education in Slavery and Freedom by Heather Andrea Williams published by University of North Carolina Press (2007) $29.95 Paperback $18.83 Kindle. Self-Taught:…
Ford’s Theater Helps Educators Teach About Reconstruction and the Civil War
Education Week has an interesting article on how teachers are preparing for back-to-school discussions in class on the Civil War and Reconstruction. The article looks…
I’ve Heard of Ida B. Wells. Why Lie and Say She Is Unknown?
There is a meme going around about a well-known African American journalist. I reproduce it below. Facebook pulled the meme because it is obvious fake…
Why Racial Separation Was Necessary for Alabama Schools to Avoid Discrimination Against Whites: Alabama Convention 1867
Most blacks had been denied any chance for a formal education during slavery. With Emancipation came the opportunity for some to attend classes at schools…
William and Mary to Expand Research into Legacy of Slavery at the College
The College of William and Mary in Virginia announced that it is expanding its project documenting the role of slavery at the school. A $1…
A Question for Readers: Were White Supremacy & Black Civil Rights Irreconcilable?
I was watching a lecture by historian David Blight in which he says one of the key challenges of Reconstruction after emancipation and Confederate defeat…
Map Shows Where Reconstruction Era Irish Immigrants Lived in U.S.
My friend Damian Shiels at Irish in the American Civil War posted this fascinating map from the Census Bureau based on the 1880 enumeration. It…
Virginia: Failed Attempt to Replace “Worthless Negroes” with Immigrant Laborers in 1868
After the Civil War, there were various unsuccessful schemes to import European immigrants to the South. White employers hoped to fill labor shortages created when…