History

Thumbnail image for Teaching Outside the Textbook: From ‘The Abolitionists’ to a Two-Term Black President

Teaching Outside the Textbook: From ‘The Abolitionists’ to a Two-Term Black President

February 3, 2013

This week PBS’s The American Experience concluded “The Abolitionists,” a searing three-part documentary on a fiercely committed band of white and African American freedom fighters. It took a fresh look at the anti-slavery movement, its most dramatic moments, its key figures and its amazing impact considering it was a movement which was run by hated […]

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A Christmas Eve Battle for Freedom: A Lesson for Today

December 27, 2012

Christmas Eve 2012 marks the 175th anniversary of an heroic battle for self-rule and liberty by a daring band of American freedom fighters traditionally ignored by school courses, texts and teachers. On the northeast corner of Florida’s Lake Okeechobee 380 to 480 members of the multicultural Seminole nation under the command of Wild Cat, and […]

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Thanksgiving Day: What to Celebrate

November 21, 2012

Thanksgiving Day remains the most treasured holiday in the United States. Work comes to a halt, families gather, eat turkey, and count their blessings. A presidential proclamation blesses the day. But we must not forget that it preeminently serves political ends. Remember in 2003 when President George Bush flew into Baghdad on Thanksgiving Day to […]

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Native American History: Isobel de Olvera

November 13, 2012

This Native American History Month I propose we celebrate Isobel de Olvera, a Native American who also had African ancestors. She was a single, free woman of color who lived in the last years of the 16th century and early years of the 17th century and comes to us through her own words. Olvera’s date […]

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Thumbnail image for Escaping to Destinations South: Keynote address at the 2012 Undergound Railroad Conference

Escaping to Destinations South: Keynote address at the 2012 Undergound Railroad Conference

June 30, 2012

William L. Katz gave the following keynote address at the Escaping to Destinations South Underground Railroad Conference in St. Augustine, Florida on June 21, 2012. The conference was hosted by the National Park Service. I am here to honor the first freedom fighters of the North and South American continents and the islands of the […]

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Thumbnail image for A Black Indian March for Peace, 1861-1862

A Black Indian March for Peace, 1861-1862

April 18, 2012

As the country celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, one major event has passed unnoticed, though it stands as a massive demonstration of people power harnessed in the cause of peace and justice. It involved thousands of men, women and children of color in a painful and vast exodus to flee the Indian […]

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