6 Black Heroes of the Civil War
Source: HISTORY
In honor of Black History Month, read about these six historical figures.
History
The Backstory: Civil rights lessons. Why we need to learn about 1961 to better understand 2021.
Source: USA TODAY
In the last 60 years, how much progress has been made in the Civil Rights movement? This article explains how events in 1961 are connected to the struggle for equality that continues in America today.
New book celebrates the lost work of Shakespeare’s female editors
Source: The Guardian
Read about the women who edited and retold Shakespeare throughout the centuries as well as their impact on Shakespearean scholars today.
A baby was taken from her mother’s arms in the Holocaust. The family just reunited.
Source: Washington Post
Read about how, against almost impossible odds, the family of Holocaust survivor Dora Rapaport was finally reunited.
The battle of Yorktown: Historic victory or tragic memory?
Source: Temple University
The Battle of Yorktown was a victory for American forces, but not everyone was celebrating.
New Year’s Eve, Day holds special meaning for Black Americans
Source: Savannah Now
Read about the history of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day traditions for Black Americans.
America’s Gilded Age led by ‘forgettable presidents’ in post-Civil War era
Source: The Virginia Gazette
While the Gilded Age is remembered by many, the time period’s presidents are often overlooked. Read about them here.
What We Learned from 5 Million Books
Source: TED
Face it: we’re so overloaded with information that none of us can digest much of it. However, in this TED talk, Jean-Baptiste Michel and Erez Lieberman Aiden present ideas about what we can do—with the five million books and 500 billion words available online today. What do they reveal about who we were, are, and are becoming? Watch the video; then navigate to the site recommended by the speakers. Discover for yourself what five million books have to say!
Jim Crow Stories: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
Source: PBS
In 1896, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of “separate but equal” laws, which weren’t struck down until almost 60 years later in Brown v. Board of Education.
Fighting…Maybe for Freedom, but probably not
Source: Colonial Williamsburg Journal
During the Revolutionary War, black soldiers fought for both the Continental army and the British army. Those who fought for the British were often promised freedom, but that promise was mostly unfulfilled.