People, Locations, Episodes

The Statehood of West Virginia, a story

On this date in 1861, West Virginia began the Secessionist Convention that would result in its breaking away from the Confederate state of Virginia, the only state to form by seceding from a Confederate state and one of three states to secede from another state. It was a key Civil War “border state.”

The First Louisiana Native Guard is Formed

*On this date, in 1862, the 1st Louisiana Native Guard was formed. They were later the 73rd Regiment Infantry U.S. Colored Troops and were among the first all-black regiments to fight in the Union Army during the American Civil War. They were based in New Orleans, Louisiana, and played a prominent role in the Siege of […]

The ‘Twenty Negro Law’ is Enacted

*The “Twenty Negro Law” was enacted on this date in 1862.  Also known as the “Twenty Slave Law” and the “Twenty Nigger Law,” it was legislation enacted by the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War. The law exempted explicitly from Confederate military service one white man for every twenty slaves owned on a Confederate […]

Ida Gibbs Hunt, Global Racial and Gender Activist born

*Ida Gibbs Hunt was born on this date in 1862.  She was a Black administrator and international racial and gender equality activist. Ida Alexander Gibbs was born in Victoria, British Columbia. Ida’s father, Judge Mifflin Wistar Gibbs, was one of the wealthiest African Americans in the United States in the late nineteenth century. Before he acquired […]

The 10th United States Colored Heavy Artillery Regiment is Formed.

*The 10th United States Colored Heavy Artillery Regiment is celebrated on this date in 1862. This artillery regiment in the Union Army served in the New Orleans defenses during the American Civil War. The unit was organized in New Orleans as the 1st Louisiana Heavy Artillery Regiment (African Descent) and redesignated as the 1st Corps […]

Fort Negley (American Civil War Landmark) is Built

On this date in 1862, Fort Negley, Nashville, TN, was completed. This military facility was built during the American Civil War mainly with Black labor supervised by the Union Army.

John Archer, Black British Politician born

*John Archer was born on this date in 1863. He was a Black British lawyer, and politician.

William H. Hunt, Diplomat born

*On this date, in 1863, William Henry Hunt was born. He was a Black diplomat. He was born in Tennessee, a mulatto. His father, William B. Hunt, was a white enslaver who fathered many children with his female slaves. His mother, Sophia Hunt, one of his father’s slaves, had a white grandfather. Young Hunt had three […]

John Mitchell, Jr., Journalist born

John Mitchell Jr. was born on this date in 1863. He was an African American journalist, activist, and politician.

He was born in Richmond, VA, and as a child, he helped support his parents by selling newspapers. He graduated first in his class from Richmond Normal High School. He became the editor of The Richmond Planet, (later the Richmond Afro-American). Mitchell was a brilliant man of many talents. In 1890, he was elected to the Richmond City Council, but around the turn of the century, he became cynical of politics.

Scipio Jones, Lawyer, and Activist born

*The birth of Scipio Jones on August 28, 1863 is celebrated on this date. He was an African American attorney and activist at the end of the nineteenth century and during the first decades of the twentieth century.

The 14th United States Colored Heavy Artillery Regiment is Formed

*The 14th United States Colored Heavy Artillery Regiment was formed on this date in 1863. They were a Black artillery regiment that served in the Union Army through the U.S. Department of War’s Bureau of Colored Troops during the American Civil War. The 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored) was organized in Providence, Rhode Island, and mustered for […]

The 8th United States Colored Infantry is Formed

*On this date in 1863, the 8th United States Colored Infantry was formed.  This infantry regiment comprised Black enlisted men who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was commanded by white officers and was authorized by the Bureau of Colored Troops. The 8th U.S. Colored Infantry was organized at Camp William […]

The 7th United States Colored Infantry is formed

*On this date, in 1863, the 7th United States Colored Infantry was formed. This an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was composed of African American enlisted men commanded by white officers. It was authorized by the Bureau of Colored Troops, which the United States War […]

Cornelius Fitzgerald, Lawyer, Community Activist born

Cornelius Fitzgerald, an African American lawyer, was born on this date in 1863.

Aaron Mossell II, Lawyer and Activist born

*Aaron Mossell II was born on this date in 1863. He was a Black lawyer and activist. Aaron Albert Mossell II was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and was the youngest of six children. His parents had moved with their first three children from Maryland to Hamilton in the 1850s to escape American racism. His father, […]