General History

After the American Civil War, many African Americans found a new life in "River Town," later to become a major city in Kentucky.Louisville became a historic marker for freed men and women of color who bought acres of land or leased shotgun cottages and...

Osprey's study of African Americans who participated in the American Civil War (1861-1865). Approximately 200,000 African Americans fought for the Union during the Civil War. Initially, many white soldiers doubted their bravery and skill; they were soon...

Author and historian Chris Dier reveals the horrifying true story behind the St. Bernard Parish Massacre.As African American men gained the right to vote, white Democrats of St. Bernard Parish feared losing their majority. Armed groups mobilized to...

Caliph Washington didn't pull the trigger but, as Officer James Cowboy Clark lay dying, he had no choice but to turn on his heel and run. The year was 1957; Cowboy Clark was white, Caliph Washington was black, and this was the Jim Crow South.As He Calls...

Fiftieth Anniversary EditionOriginally published in 1966, Miguel Barnet's Biography of a Runaway Slave provides the written history of the life of Esteban Montejo, who lived as a slave, as a fugitive in the wilderness, and as a soldier fighting against...

A "gripping and poignant" (Wall Street Journal) account of the coming of the American Civil War, showing the crucial role of slaves who escaped to Mexico The Underground Railroad to the North promised salvation to many American slaves before the Civil...

Springfield became the capital of Illinois due in large part to Abraham Lincoln--lawyer, politician, and president. Lincoln lived in Springfield from 1837 to 1861, and during the decade after his departure, the African American population in the city...

Located in the rural northeastern part of North Carolina, Somerset was cumulatively home to more than 800 enslaved blacks and four generations of a planter family.When the institution of slavery ended in 1865, Somerset Place was the third largest...

Chicago has long been a haven of organized from, home to such celebrated figures as Al Capone, Lucky Luciano and Sam Giancana. In Black Gangsters of Chicago, author Ron Chepesiuk focuses on a lesser known group, the annals of black organized crime in...

Experience a cool splash of music history from the Bayou State! This intensely personal and entertaining account is a snapshot of Blues from an outsider welcomed into the inner circles of Southern Blues icons. Englishman Julian C. Piper spent a year...

Born on a Maryland plantation, Frederick Douglass--born Frederick Baily--doesn't know the year of his birth. Separated from his mother in infancy, he sees her only a few times, always at night, before she dies. At the age of seven or eight, Frederick's...

This book celebrates Charleston's distinctive history, culture, and charm. It is a collection of true stories centered on, though not confined to, Broad Street, unquestionably Charleston's most historic thoroughfare.Broad Street was intended to be the...

A field guide to the memorials, museums, and practices that commemorate white supremacy in the United States--and how to reimagine a more deeply shared cultural infrastructure for the future Cultural infrastructure has been designed to maintain...

The first book to explore the historical role and residual impact of the Green Book, a travel guide for black motorists Published from 1936 to 1966, the Green Book was hailed as the black travel guide to America. At that time, it was very dangerous and...

Contemporary quilt artists trace the path of Black history in the United States with 97 original works exploring important events, places, people, and ideas over 400 years. Arranged in chronological order, quilt themes include the first enslaved people...

African Americans have contributed greatly to the history of American agriculture. One of its most compelling stories is the New Farmers of America (NFA), which was a national organization of Black farm boys studying vocational agriculture in the public...