Beneath the streets of some of America’s largest cities lie the graves of thousands of enslaved and freed Africans. Office towers rise above them and highways cut across them. In many places, people go about their daily lives unaware...
In the early years of the United States, openly condemning slavery in the South could cost a preacher his position. This was the reality faced by James M. Gilliland, a Presbyterian minister whose opposition to slavery led to his...
Robert Lewis Dabney was among the most influential Southern Presbyterian theologians of the nineteenth century. A pastor, seminary professor, and Confederate officer, he became a central figure in the effort to defend slavery and racial hierarchy through Christian theology...
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...
