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  1. Gopher John
    date April 18, 1842map HILLSBOROUGH, Floridatags African-Americans, Native-Americans, Race-Relations, Slavery, War

    Officially, Gopher John was Major General McCall's interpreter, but during those long and informal nights on the Florida frontier, John was also his cook and friend. He was someone to talk to, and he cooked a yellow perch dish that really would have done honor to your cuisine at home. McCall and John were deep in the Florida wilderness, surrounding a fire in Wahoo Swamp, and the Major General in the...

  2. African-American Traveler Jailed Despite Documents
    date January 5, 1848map WAKE, North Carolinatags African-Americans, Law, Slavery

    Sherriff Willie Pope incarcerated the black man calling himself Sam Fary just three days after Christmas. Though Sam claimed himself a free man, Pope placed a front page advertisement in the local paper requesting Fary's owner to come forward, prove property, pay charges and take him away, or he will be dealt with as the law directs. The newspaper notice included a small cartoon of a running black...

  3. Racial Discrimination in Southern Irish Jokes
    date February 12, 1830 to April 16, 1830map ALBEMARLE, Virginiatags Church/Religious-Activity, Crime/Violence, Race-Relations

    Albemarle County's residents eagerly looked forward to the popular Miscellaneous Section of Charlottesville's weekly paper, The Virginia Advocate. In this segment readers found many lighthearted topics including a sequence of imaginary situations reflecting both the political and social atmosphere of the era. In addition to jokes about the fancies of women, the life of the theater, and medical issues,...

  4. A Meeting of the Knox County Colonization Society
    date June, 1850map KNOX, Tennesseetags African-Americans, Migration/Transportation, Slavery

    During the week of June 16, 1850, the Knox County Colonization Society convened for a meeting. This was of great significance because it marked the second anniversary of the Society in the city of Knoxville. At this time, the Chairman of this society declared that 15 to 20 free blacks of the city were ready to begin the process of emigration to Liberia. During the meeting, officers for the following...

  5. Courtroom Drama in Black and White at Cumberland Court
    date September 2, 1834map ALBEMARLE, Virginiatags African-Americans, Crime/Violence, Government, Law, Race-Relations

    After a long day of riding through the rain to Cumberland Court, Carter H. Harrison sat down to record the exciting events of the day in his diary and proudly declared, I defended and cleared a negro charged with an attempt to kill by poisoning. Although Harrison records no further details of the proceedings, this account of September 2, 1834 reflects daily life of the local court system in the South...

  6. African Americans Drinking during Church Service
    date 1846map CULPEPER, Virginiatags African-Americans, Church/Religious-Activity, Crime/Violence, Race-Relations, Slavery

    The white population of Culpeper County, Virginia was dismayed when their church services were inexcusably disrupted by the boisterous activities of some African Americans. As a petition to the State Legislature, drafted by a number of the county's white citizens in 1846, states, their worshipping services are of late so interrupted by drinking, particularly by Negroes on the Sabbath, that they will...

  7. Ellen Long's Concern for Newly Freed Slaves
    date May 23, 1865map BREVARD, Floridatags African-Americans, Agriculture, Health/Death, Economy, Race-Relations, Slavery, War, Women

    Throughout the Civil War, Ellen Call Long had thought that the end of fighting would bring her great relief. However, when fighting did cease and Ms. Long saw the Union flag flying above Florida's capitol building, she instead felt crushed and disappointed. In her diary, she expressed her concerns for the future of the plantation economy, as well as for the welfare of the newly freed slaves. She wrote,...