In the early nineteenth century United States, being legally free did not always mean being safe. For thousands of free Black Americans living in border regions, freedom existed under constant threat from kidnapping rings that supplied enslaved labor to...
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the rapid expansion of medical education in the United States and Europe created a desperate demand for human bodies. Anatomy classes, surgical training, and medical research all depended on dissection, but legal sources...
The history of slavery in the United States is often told through economics, labor, and politics, but one of the most intimate and horrifying dimensions of the system was the exploitation of Black women’s reproductive capacities. They were forced...
The Igbo Landing event stands out in the history of American slavery because it was not a typical plantation revolt, escape attempt, or organized military insurrection. Instead, they rebelled against slavery in the most final way, walking into the...
James Henry Hammond was a powerful and controversial figure in antebellum South Carolina. A U.S. representative, governor, and senator, Hammond was celebrated in his time for his political skill, wealth, and influence. Yet behind this public image lay a...
Levi Coffin was an abolitionist and humanitarian, often called the “President of the Underground Railroad” for his role in helping thousands of enslaved Africans escape to freedom. Alongside his wife, Catherine, he provided shelter, food, and guidance to fugitives...
John N. Forrest was an American slave jailor and disabled veteran active in the interregional slave trade in the United States prior to the American Civil War. He is best known for his role as the jailor of the slave...
For millions of enslaved Black families in the United States, January 1 was never a day of joy. While the world around them celebrated the New Year with music, laughter, and hope, enslaved families faced dread and sorrow. They...
For the millions of Africans brought to the Americas in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, the Bible occupied a paradoxical place. In the hands of enslavers, it became a tool of control, a weapon wielded to justify cruelty...
On December 26, 1921, while much of white America was still in the afterglow of Christmas, Bill McAllister lay dead in Florence County, South Carolina, his body riddled with bullets. His crime was not proven murder, not theft, not...
