History

Henrietta Wood: The Woman Who Won the Largest Slavery Reparations Verdict in U.S. History

Henrietta Wood holds a unique place in American history as the formerly enslaved woman who won the largest reparations verdict ever awarded for slavery in the United States. Born into slavery in Kentucky, Henrietta Wood’s life began in bondage under...

Barbara Pope: The Woman Whose Train Protest Against Segregation Led to Her Tragic End

Barbara E. Pope was an American teacher, author, and civil rights activist whose battle against systemic racism and personal struggles ultimately led to her tragic end. Barbara Pope was born in January 1854 in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., to Alfred and...

Lumpkin’s Jail: The 19th-Century American Slave Breeding Facility for Enslaved Africans

In the shadowed history of the United States, few places symbolize the brutalities inflicted upon enslaved African people as Lumpkin’s Jail in Richmond, Virginia. Known as one of the largest and most notorious slave jails in 19th century Richmond,...

Wyatt Outlaw: The Black Politician Lynched by a White Mob in 1870

Wyatt Outlaw, the first African American to serve as Town Commissioner and Constable of Graham, North Carolina, was a pioneering leader and dedicated advocate for African American rights in Alamance County. He faced violent opposition for his stance against...

Lucy Terry: The Author of the Oldest Known Work of Literature by an African American

Lucy Terry was a gifted storyteller, orator, and poet, renowned for being the author of “Bars Fight” (1746), the oldest known literary work by an African American. Lucy Terry was born around 1733 on the African continent. Like many others...

Invisible Churches: How Enslaved Africans in the US Resisted Their Owners’ Obedience Doctrine

During the era of American slavery, Christianity became both a tool for oppression and a source of hope for enslaved African Americans. Slaveholders leveraged the Christian faith, twisting its messages to reinforce submission and obedience to them. Out of...

Celia: The Enslaved Teen Executed for Defending Herself Against Her Master’s Sexual Assault in 1855

The story of Celia is similar to that of Lena Baker, a black maid who was Sentenced to the Electric Chair for Defending Herself Against her Rapist Employer. However, unlike Baker, Celia was a slave with no legal rights,...

Benjamin Boardley: The Enslaved African Innovator in the U.S. Who Sold His Invention to Buy His Freedom

Benjamin Boardley, an African engineer and inventor born into slavery in March 1830, created a steam engine but was denied a patent by the U.S. government due to his enslaved status. As a result, he was forced to sell...

Pope Nicholas V: The Pope Who Granted Portugal the Right to Enslave Africans in 1452

Pope Nicholas V, born Tommaso Parentucelli in 1397, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1447 until his death in 1455. While his pontificate is remembered for its contributions to art, and...

Eduardo Mondlane: The Mozambican Revolutionary Leader Assassinated by Portugal in 1969

Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane was a revolutionary leader, anthropologist, and co-founder of the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO), whose crucial involvement in Mozambique’s struggle for independence from Portuguese colonial rule ultimately led to his assassination. Born in N’wajahani, in the Mandlakazi district...
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Rudolf Duala Manga Bell: The African King Executed by Germany for Standing Against the Displacement of His People

Rudolf Duala Manga Bell, was a visionary monarch, legal strategist, and resistance leader who was executed on August 8,...
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