Nashoba: Not So Interracial, Not So Utopian
In the 1820s, Frances Wright established a community whose major project was the emancipation of enslaved people. Why did it crash and burn?
How Black Americans Co-opted the Fourth of July
After the Civil War, white southerners saw the Fourth of July as a celebration of Confederate defeat. Black southerners saw opportunities.
Shirley Chisholm: Sisterhood Is Complicated
A 1974 interview on feminism and politics with the first Black major-party candidate for president.
Abolitionist “Wide Awakes” Were Woke Before “Woke”
“Now the old men are folding their arms and going to sleep,” said William H. Seward while campaigning for Lincoln, “and the young men are Wide Awake.”
Five Decades of Black Activism in St. Louis
Elizabeth Hinton, Percy Green II, Robin D. G. Kelley, Tef Poe, George Lipsitz, and Jamala Rogers trace the history from Civil Rights to Black Lives Matter.
How Tear Gas Became a Staple of American Law Enforcement
In 1932, the “Bonus Army” of jobless veterans staged a protest in Washington, DC. The government dispersed them with tear gas.
Juneteenth and the Emancipation Proclamation
The emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. took place over a protracted period. The articles in this curated list dig into the complicated history.
Juneteenth in the Alternative Press
Reports in the underground press demonstrate how Juneteenth has been celebrated as both a social and political gathering in the twentieth century.
Where Did Zip Codes Come From?
How a plan for getting the mail delivered faster allowed targeted marketing to grow.