In July we noted the remarkable coincidence of major events in American history falling on Independence Day. Another striking coincidence involves Constitution Day. On September 17, 1787, delegates to the
Many years ago, as I browsed the book section of the North Carolina Museum of History’s gift shop, I stumbled upon “Divided Allegiances: Bertie County in the Civil War” by
John Copeland and Lewis Leary were the last two men to join John Brown’s small band gathering on a Kentucky farm in October 1859. Both free Blacks, they arrived just
Early one school year, I asked my Advanced Placement U.S. History students what questions they hoped to have answered in the course. One thoughtful student said she wanted to understand
Today is the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s death. Instead of a story about Lincoln, we’re posting a story about a teacher who, each year in history class, tears the great
High above the football stadium at Clemson University sits Fort Hill, the stately antebellum home of John C. Calhoun. On game days at Clemson, the marching band parades down the
I have a confession to make. In my years teaching American history, I did an inadequate job teaching students about the notorious abolitionist John Brown, his activities in Kansas during
When Lincoln became president on March 4, 1861, white citizens of seven slaveholding states no longer considered themselves citizens of the United States of America. Unwilling to accept a Republican
Frederick Douglass, in one of his last speeches, drew attention to a little-known book published in 1680, The Negroes’ and Indians’ Advocate, Suing for Their Admission Into the Church. Written
The hour was late when Frederick Douglass rose to speak to more than fifty African-American leaders who had gathered in Washington, DC, to honor him and celebrate emancipation. The elaborate
