President Franklin Pierce signed the divisive Kansas-Nebraska Act into Law
In 1854, Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois proposed a bill to organize the Territory of Nebraska, a vast area of land that would become Kansas, Nebraska, Montana …
slavery
First Republican Party meeting in Ripon, Wisconsin.
This simple frame schoolhouse, built in 1853, holds a powerful history. In the Little White Schoolhouse a decision made by a small group of Ripon …
Abolitionist Frederick Douglass Gives Iconic “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro” Speech
Frederick Douglass (1818-95) was a prominent American abolitionist, author and orator. Born a slave, Douglass escaped at age 20 and went on to become a …
Amistad Rebellion: Sengbe Pieh and 56 fellow Africans Mutiny Aboard the Ship La Armistad enroute to Cuba
On July 2, 1839, Sengbe Pieh and 56 fellow Africans mutiny aboard the ship La Armistad enroute to Cuba. The ship is captured off Long Island, NY, …
Slavery Abolition Act: Slavery Abolished in the British Empire
On 3 August 1835, somewhere in the City of London, two of Europe’s most famous bankers came to an agreement with the chancellor of the …
Francis Scott Key Penned the Poem, the ‘Star Spangled Banner’, Later to Become the National Anthem
Francis Scott Key penned the words to the US National Anthem after watching the bombardment for 25 hours and seeing “Bombs bursting in air, missiles, …
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: “None are more Hopelessly Enslaved than Those who Falsely Believe They are Free.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 Aug 1749 – 22 Mar 1832), a German writer and statesman wrote Elective Affinities. The title is taken from a scientific …
The Importation of Slaves into the United States was Prohibited
WE Americans live in a society awash in historical celebrations. The last few years have witnessed commemorations of the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase (2003) …
St. Thomas African Episcopal Church is Officially Accepted as the First Black Episcopal Parish in the United States by Former Slave, Absalom Jones
In 1762 at the tender age of sixteen, a slave named Absalom Jones witnessed his mother and six siblings sold away while he was brought …
William Wilberforce gives His Passionate “Abolition Speech” to the House of Commons to Convince them that Slavery Must be Abolished
William Wilberforce was a member of the British Parliament who converted to Christianity and later became an abolitionist. As a Christian, he sought to reform …