The Hamburg Massacre – A Tragic, Bloody Day In U.S. History

The Hamburg Massacre took place in South Carolina in July of 1876. It was another of the low-water marks of the era of American history we call Reconstruction, the twelve years following the end of the Civil War. Hamburg was a small town in South Carolina, just across the Savannah River that forms the state’s […]

What Are Some Frederick Douglass Books? Works By A Great American

When it comes to Frederick Douglass books, many of us remember his autobiography. It is one of the most famous autobiographies in US history. When I taught American History in college, I had my students read it each year. If you need a reminder, Frederick Douglass was the most famous African American in the United […]

Octavius Catto, Civil Rights Legend

The career of Octavius Catto ranks among the great stories of the United States in the 1800s. This versatile figure came to prominence during and after the Civil War. This was a time of dramatic change in America. Octavius Catto is a second-generation figure in the struggle of African Americans for equality in the United […]

Prince Edward County & School Desegregation

In my eyes, one of the most tragic and ridiculous events of the entire civil rights movement in the United States took place in Prince Edward County, Virginia, between 1959 and 1964. Probably you’ve not heard this story unless you’re familiar with the civil rights movement. But it says so much about racial hatred and […]

The 1964 Civil Rights Act & Two Court Cases

If you have even a perfunctory knowledge of what happened during the Civil Rights Movement in the US, you remember the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The purpose of the act was to end segregation in public places because segregation discriminated so heavily against African Americans living in the South. It also banned segregation in employment […]