People, Locations, Episodes

Joseph B. Bass, Journalist born

*Joseph Bass was born on this date in 1863. He was an African American teacher, businessman and newspaper editor.

From Jefferson City, Missouri, Joseph Blackburn Bass taught school for seven years but in 1894, William Pope, editor of the Topeka Call offered him the job of newspaperman. In 1896, Pope died, and Joseph Bass became owner, publisher, and editor. In 1898, Nick Chiles purchased the newspaper and changed the name to The Topeka Plaindealer. J.B. Bass worked as Chile’s associate until 1905 when he moved to Helena, Montana to establish The Montana Plaindealer.

Francis Johnston, Photographer born

*Francis Johnston was born on this date in 1864. She was a White American photographer whose work included preserving early higher education of African America. An only child, Francis Benjamin Johnston was born in Grafton, West Virginia to an affluent family. She was raised in Washington, D.C. where her family moved soon after she was born. In the nation’s capitol, her parents were active in the high ranking political and social circles, and their connections, particularly her mother’s, would greatly benefit Johnston’s education and subsequent career as a photographer.

Race-Based Land Redistribution in America, a story

*On this date in 1865, land redistribution based on race in America is written about. Since emancipation, there are numerous accounts of seized homes and land belonging to Blacks that whites have taken in America.   This also followed the white colonial Headright Property System practiced during American slavery. For generations, since the 18th century, Black […]

The New Orleans Tribune Newspaper is Founded

This date celebrates the establishment in 1864 of America’s first daily Black newspaper.

Wayne Cox, Teacher and Businessman born

*Wayne Cox was born on this date in 1864. He was a Black teacher, administrator, and businessman.

Anthony Crawford, Businessman born

*The birth of Anthony Crawford is celebrated on this date in 1865. He was a Black businessman.  From Abbeville, South Carolina, Anthony P. Crawford’s mother and father were Thomas Crawford and Phoebe Williams. His grandfather, Charles Crawford, born in 1780, survived the Middle Passage. He had three brothers and sisters, Sanders Crawford, Andrew Crawford, Jackson […]

The Freedman’s Savings Bank Opens

*The Freedman’s Savings Bank opened on this date in 1865. It was the first federal bank in America. Also known as the Freedman’s Saving and Trust Company, it was a private savings bank chartered by the U.S. Congress to collect deposits from newly emancipated slaves. At the end of the American Civil War, the poor […]

Anthony Overton, Businessman born

*The birth of Anthony Overton on this date in 1865 is celebrated on this date. He was an African American lawyer and businessman.

Jesse Binga, Chicago Businessman born

*Jesse Binga was born on this date in 1865.  He was an African American businessman.

Lyda D. Newman, Inventor, and Suffragist born

*This date celebrates the birth of Lyda D. Newman, who was born on this date in 1865. She was a Black inventor and advocate for women’s suffrage. Newman was born in Ohio but spent most of her life living and working in Manhattan, New York City, in San Juan Hill. Records indicate that she may have […]

The Nation (Magazine) Begins Publication

*The Nation was published on this date in 1865. It is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States, covering progressive political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison’s  The Liberator, an abolitionist newspaper that closed in 1865 after the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. A collaborator of the […]

Richard Thompson, Journalist born

*The birth of Richard W. Thompson is celebrated on this date in 1865.  He was a Black postal clerk and journalist.  Richard W. Thompson was born in Brandenburg, Meade County, Kentucky.  His father was an African Methodist Episcopal Zion Connection Church minister and died in 1872. later that year, he moved with his mother, Jane, […]

Kendelton, Texas is Founded

*This date in 1865 celebrates the founding of Kendleton, Texas. Kendleton is a city in western Fort Bend County and one of many Black Towns (settlements) throughout America. History What is now Kendleton was a part of William E. Kendall’s plantation. In the 1860s, Kendall divided his property into various small farms and sold the plots to […]

Sharecropping In America, a story

*On this date in 1865, sharecropping is briefly described. Sharecropping historically is a system of agriculture or agricultural production in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced on the land (e.g., 50 percent of the crop). We chose this date because the 13th […]

Alfred Cralle, Inventor born

*Alfred Cralle was born on this date in 1866. He was a Black businessman and inventor. Alfred L. Cralle was born in Kenbridge, Lunenburg County, Virginia, just after the end of the American Civil War. He attended local schools and worked with his father in the carpentry trade as a young man, becoming interested in […]