Slavery in the US

The Lynching of Richard Dickerson and the Destruction of Black-Owned Businesses in Ohio, 1904

Richard Dickerson was an African American laborer living in Springfield, Ohio, whose lynching by a white mob on March 7, 1904 became the catalyst for further racial violence, including the targeted destruction of Black-owned businesses in the city’s “Levee”...

Memoirs of a Blind African Slave: The Remarkable Journey of Jeffrey Brace

Jeffrey Brace, originally known as Boyrereau Brinch, was born in West Africa in 1742 and led a peaceful life among his community until the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade changed his destiny forever. His memoir, The Blind African...

The Story of Eleanor Butler: A White Woman Enslaved for Marrying an Enslaved African in 1681

In colonial Maryland in 1681, a young Irish woman named Eleanor Butler, also known as Irish Nell, made a bold and controversial decision that would forever change her life. At just 16 years old, she defied societal norms by...

Ten Years After Escaping, Frederick Douglass Wrote This Powerful Letter to His Former Enslaver

Frederick Douglass was one of the most influential African American leaders of the 19th century. Born into slavery in Maryland, he endured severe hardships but learned to read and write secretly—a skill that fueled his desire for freedom. In...

Jane Deveaux: The Black Woman Who Risked Everything to Teach Enslaved Children to Read in the 1800s

During the brutal era of chattel slavery in the United States, slave owners viewed literacy as a direct threat to the institution of slavery. They feared it could empower their slaves to pursue freedom, access abolitionist literature, or organize...

Charles Deslondes: The Enslaved African Brutally Lynched for Leading the Largest Slave Uprising in US History

Charles Deslondes was an enslaved African man who was brutally executed for leading the 1811 German Coast Revolt, widely regarded as the largest slave uprising in U.S. history, involving over 500 people. Born around 1789 on the plantation of Jacques...

Margaret Douglass: The White Woman Imprisoned in Virginia for Teaching Black Children to Read

Margaret Crittendon Douglass was a white woman and former slaveholder, who was convicted and jailed in Norfolk, Virginia, for teaching Black children to read. Her story is a reminder of the brutal measures taken to suppress Black education during...

How the Society of Jesus Sold 272 Enslaved Africans to Finance Their Missions in 1838

The Society of Jesus, known as the Jesuits, is a Catholic religious order renowned for its commitment to education, missionary work, and theological scholarship. However, their history includes a troubling chapter: the 1838 sale of 272 enslaved Africans to...

Luke Blackshear: The Enslaved African Breeder Who Produced 56 Children for His American Master

Blackshear was a man known for his towering strength, standing six feet four inches and weighing around 250 pounds. Not only was he a skilled craftsman and mechanic, but he was also exploited for another purpose: breeding children who...

The Samba Rebellion of 1731 in Colonial Louisiana and the Tragic Fate of Its Conspirators

The Samba Rebellion of 1731, a purported slave revolt in French colonial Louisiana, remains one of the lesser-known events in early American history, recorded primarily through the writings of Antoine-Simon Le Page du Pratz, a French historian who lived...
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King Toera: The Malagasy King Who Was Beheaded for Resisting French Rule in 1897

King Toera was the last independent ruler of the Menabe region in western Madagascar who was executed by French...