People, Locations, Episodes

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 […]

The First American Memorial Day is Commemorated

*On this date in 1865, former Black slaves started Memorial Day in America.

This occurred in Charleston, SC to honor 257 dead Union Soldiers who had been buried in a mass grave in a Confederate prison camp. They dug up the bodies and worked for 2 weeks to give them a proper burial as gratitude for fighting for their freedom. Together with teachers and missionaries, Black residents of Charleston organized a May Day ceremony that year which was covered by the New York Tribune and other national papers.

Juneteenth National Freedom Day is Observed

This date marks the Juneteenth National Freedom Day. Celebrated on June 19, Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. It is the name given to Emancipation Day (or Freedam Day)_by African Americans in in Galveston, Texas, in 1865, when Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in town and read General Order #3 to the people of Galveston.

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 […]

The Joint Committee of Reconstruction Established

*On this date in 1865, The Joint Committee on Reconstruction was established.  Also known as the Joint Committee of Fifteen, this 39th United States Congress committee played a major role in Reconstruction after the American Civil War. It was created to “inquire into the condition of the States which formed the so-called Confederate States of America, and report whether they or any of […]

The 13th Amendment Of America’s Constitution is Adopted

The 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was ratified on this date in 1865.

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 […]

The Devil’s Punchbowl (Mississippi), a story

*This date in 1865 is remembered for the Devil’s Punchbowl episode, a post-American Civil War episode in Black history that occurred in Natchez (Adams County), Mississippi.  As Black slaves made their way to freedom, the town of Natchez quickly went from a population of 10,000 to nearly 100,000 people. To deal with the population influx […]

Land For Former American Slaves Amendment is Offered in Congress

*On this date in 1866 Congressman and abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens offered real-estate compensation to Black slaves for emancipation.

This was an amendment to Freedmen’s Bureau bill authorizing the distribution of public land and confiscated land to freedmen and loyal refugees in forty-acre lots. The measure was defeated in the House by a vote of 126 to 37. A Black delegation, led by Frederick Douglas called on President Johnson and urged ballots for former slaves.

The meeting ended in disagreement and controversy after Johnson reiterated his opposition to Black suffrage.

The Civil Rights Act of 1866 is Passed

On this date in 1866, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act over the veto of President Andrew Johnson.

Black Citizens Celebrate The End of Slavery in Washington D.C.

On this date in 1866, the Black citizens of
Washington, D.C., celebrated the abolition of slavery.

A demonstration of 4,000 to 5,000 people assembled at the White House there they were addressed by (then) President Andrew Johnson. Marching past 10,000 cheering spectators, the procession, led by two Black regiments, continued up Pennsylvania Avenue to Franklin Square for religious services and speeches by prominent politicians.

A sign on top of the speaker’s platform read: “We have received our civil rights. Give us the right of suffrage and the work is done.”

The ‘Celebration of Freedom by the Colored People in Washington D.C.’ Drawing is Created

*On this date in 1866, this sketch, “Celebration of the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia by the colored people in Washington D.C.,” was created.   The artist, Frederick Dielman. Served as a topographer and draughtsman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Fortress Monroe and Baltimore from 1866 to 1872. It was published in Harper’s Weekly […]

The Memphis Tennessee Race Riot Occurs

*The Memphis riot occurred on this date in 1866. It was a race riot that lasted for three days and resulted in the deaths of forty-six Blacks and two Whites. A Joint Congressional Committee reported seventy-five persons injured, one hundred persons robbed, five women raped, ninety-one homes burned, four churches and eight schools burned and destroyed, and seventeen thousand dollars in federal property destroyed. Hundreds of Blacks were jailed, and almost all other freedmen fled town until the disturbance ended.

The ‘Buffalo Soldiers’ Military Units are Created

*On June 28, 1866, an Act of Congress authorized the creation of two cavalry and four infantry regiments, “which shall be composed of colored men.” They were organized as the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 38th through 41st Infantry.

The 9th and 10th Cavalry would go on to play a major role in the history of the West, as the “Buffalo Soldiers”

The Treaty with the Cherokee Nation is Signed

*On this date in 1866. The Treaty with the Cherokee Nation was signed.  This document constituted articles about African Cherokee Citizens and ended Slavery in the Cherokee Nation. It also exemplified the historic intersectionality of the African American and Native American communities. This voided a “pretended treaty” with Confederate Cherokees, granted amnesty to Cherokees, established a […]