General History

Late in 1862, amid the horrors of the U.S. Civil War, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, with President Lincoln's approval, authorized the recruitment of Black soldiers for the Union cause. In January of 1863, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was...

Dream Merchant of the Perfect Game: The Life and Legacy of Frank "Doc" Sykes is the story of a dedicated medical professional, an extraordinary athlete, and a courageous human rights advocate.Taking the stand in the Scottsboro Boys trials, Sykes's...

In three global conflicts and countless colonial campaigns, tens of thousands of black West Indian soldiers fought and died for Britain, first as slaves and then as volunteers. These all but forgotten regiments were unique because they were part of the...

"Troublemaker" Memories of the Freedom Movement is the personal, boots-on-the-ground story of Bruce Hartford's service in the American Civil Rights Movement. One of the many Jews who allied themselves with the African-American struggle for justice and...

Portugal's three wars in Africa in Angola, Mozambique and Portuguese Guinea (Guiné-Bissau today) lasted almost 13 years - longer than the United States Army fought in Vietnam. Yet they are among the most underreported conflicts of the modern era...

Join 'The Terrible Ones' on clandestine operations and in conventional warfare during the harsh bush war that raged through southern Angola in the 1980s. The conflict ended with the last major battle of the Cold War, one of the largest land battles of...

Since the founding of St. Louis in 1764, Downtown St. Louis has been a center of black cultural, economic, political, and legal achievements that have shaped not only the city of St. Louis, but the nation as well. From James Beckworth, one of the...

Shaped by centuries of migration, enslavement, freedom, colonization, and cultural mixture, Louisiana Creole identity is often simplified or misunderstood to fit into today's ideas about race and nationality. In Sunset Limited: An Autobiography of...

Portraits of Valor The stories of the passions and personalities that placed Virginia in the forefront of the Revolutionary War were replete with grief and sacrifice. The breakup of families over political differences was common. Bereavement spared few,...

Illuminating two hundred years of lost Black History through the lens of an iconic abolitionist settlementIn the Light of Dawn shares the compelling story of how the iconic Dawn Settlement--now largely within the boundaries of Dresden, Ontario-- shaped...

"Part memoir, part history, and part political treatise, The South chronicles Reed's life under Jim Crow to correct what he sees as misleading representations of the past."-Elias Rodriques, Bookforum A memoir and historical account of growing up Black in...