People, Locations, Episodes

Charlotte Ray, Teacher, and Attorney born

This date marks the birth of Charlotte E. Ray in 1850. She was a Black teacher and the first Black female lawyer in the United States.

Emanuel Hewlett, Lawyer, Judge, and Activist born

*Emanuel Hewlett was born on this date in 1850. He was a Black attorney, judge, and civil rights activist. Emanuel D. Molyneaux Hewlett was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 15, 1850, the son of Aaron Molyneaux Hewlett and Virginia Josephine Molyneaux Hewlett. He had two sisters, Virginia Lind and Aaronella, and two brothers, […]

Strader v. Graham is Ruled

*On this date in 1851, we celebrate Strader v. Graham, 51 U.S. 82 court verdict.   This United States Supreme Court decision held that the status of three slaves who went from Kentucky to Indiana and Ohio depended on Kentucky law rather than Ohio law. The original plaintiff was Christopher Graham, whose three slaves had […]

Thomas M. Stewart, Liberian Administrator born

Thomas McCants Stewart was born on this date in 1854. He was a Black attorney, educator, and minister.

He was born in Charleston, SC. After graduating from the University of South Carolina in 1875, he practiced law in Columbia. Stewart then became a professor of mathematics in the State Agricultural College, in Orangeburg.

The Dred Scott Case is Ruled

*On this date in 1857, the United States Supreme Court ruled in the Dred Scott Case. It is believed by many to have been a key cause of the American Civil War, and of the ratification of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, leading to the end of slavery and the beginning of civil rights for freed African slaves.

Robert Terrell, Teacher, and Judge born

*Robert Terrell was born on this date in 1857. He was a Black attorney, teacher, and judge.   Robert Heberton Terrell was born in Orange, Virginia, to parents Harrison and Louisa Ann Terrell. The family moved to Washington, DC, in 1865 after the American Civil War and emancipation ended. His father, Harrison Terrell, worked for a prominent […]

William Morris Sr., Lawyer, and Professor, born

 *This date in 1859 is celebrated as the birth date of William R. Morris, Sr., a Black professor and lawyer. William Richard Morris was born into slavery in Flemingsburg, KY. He was the son of Hezekiah (a slave) and Elizabeth Hopkins Morris (free) and the brother of Edward H. Morris. Hezekiah bought his freedom and […]

Everett J. Waring, Businessman and Lawyer born.

*Everett Waring was born on this date in 1859. He was a Black businessman and lawyer. Everett J. Waring, the son of Malvina C. and James S. Waring, was born in Springfield, Ohio. His father was an educator and principal of Black schools in Columbus and Springfield. Everett, whose mother and father were mulatto, was […]

Warner T. McGuinn, Lawyer born

*The birth of Warner T. McGuinn on November 23rd 1859 is celebrated on this date. He was an African American lawyer and politician.

From Goochland County, near Richmond, Virginia, he was one of three sons of Jared and Fannie McGuinn. His older brother the Rev. Robert A. McGuinn was also born in Virginia and moved to Baltimore. A half-brother, the Rev. William M. Alexander (1852-1919), was pastor of Sharon Baptist Church in Baltimore and the first editor of the Baltimore Afro-American.

The Emancipation Reform of Russia is Enacted

*The Emancipation Reform of Russia, also known as the Edict of Emancipation of Russia, was enacted on this date in 1861. It was the first and most crucial liberal reform enacted during the reign of Emperor Alexander II of Russia. The reform effectively abolished serfdom throughout the Russian Empire. The 1861 Emancipation Manifesto proclaimed the […]

Racial Segregation In America, a story

*Racial segregation in the United States of America is affirmed on November 19, 1862. These were (are) laws that excluded facilities and services to communities based on race. The plight of Africans in the United States of America as chattel enslaved people was enforceable because of laws. Africans were brought to this country in the same category […]

The American Emancipation Proclamation Becomes Law

*On this date in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation; ordering that all slaves in rebel territory be freed.

William Twine, Lawyer and Newspaper Publisher born.

*William Twine was born on this date in 1864. He was a Black lawyer and newspaper publisher. William Henry Twine was born a freedman in Richmond, Kentucky. His father, Thomas J. Twine, was a wheelwright and former slave of mixed Black and Native American ancestry; his mother, Lizzie Twine, was an African woman. Twine settled […]

‘Forty Acres and a Mule’, a story

On this day in 1865, General William T. Sherman issued a special field order that would have provided each African American family 40 acres of land and an army mule to work the land.

In the midst of his “March to the Sea” during the Civil War, General Sherman and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton met with 20 black community leaders of Savannah, Georgia.

The First Black Attorney Practices Before the Supreme Court

*On this date in 1865, John Rock became the first African American attorney to practice before the Supreme Court.

Rock was formerly a dentist and justice of the peace in Boston.