People, Locations, Episodes

Abraham, Black Seminole Leader born

The birth of Black Seminole warrior Abraham is celebrated on this date in 1787. He was an African Native American soldier and politician.

John Quincy Adams, Politician, and Amistad Counsel born

John Quincy Adams was born on this date in 1767. He was a White American diplomat, politician, opponent of slavery, and the sixth president of the United States.

Adams was born in Braintree, MA, in a part of town which eventually became Quincy. Adams was the son of U. S. President John Adams and Abigail Adams. Much of Adams’ youth was spent overseas accompanying his father, who served as an American envoy to France from 1778 until 1779 and to the Netherlands in 1780. During this period, he was educated at institutions such as the University of Leiden.

The ‘Three-Fifths Compromise’ in America, a story

On this date in 1787, the Three-fifths Compromise was enacted. Delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia that year accepted a plan determining a state’s representation in the U.S. House of Representatives. It was ironic that it was a liberal northern delegate, James Wilson of Pennsylvania, who proposed the Three-Fifths Compromise, as a way to gain southern support for a new framework of government.

Shaka Zulu, African Monarch born

*Shaka Zulu was born on this date, c. 1787.  Shaka Zulu was a Black South African Monarch and military innovator of the Zulu Nation.    He was born Sigidi kaSenzangakhona near present-day Melmoth, KwaZulu-Natal Province. Due to persecution due to his illegitimacy, he spent his childhood in his mother’s settlements, where he was initiated into an ibutho lempi (fighting unit). In his early days, Shaka […]

William Cuffay, Tailor, and Politician born

The birth of William Cuffay in 1788 is celebrated on this date. He was a Black tailor, and politician.

From Chatham, Kent in England his father was a naval cook and former slave. A young Cuffay found work as an apprentice tailor. Also as a young man he held conservative views and as late as 1833. Cuffay argued against the formation of trade unions and was the last member of his lodge to join the (then) new tailors’ union. Yet when the tailors’ union came out on strike in April 1834, Cuffay joined them and as a result lost his job.

The Slave Trade Act of 1788 is Enacted

*On this date, 1788, the Slave Trade Act of 1788 was enacted. Also known as Dolben’s Act, it was an Act of Parliament that limited the number of people that British slave ships could transport based on tonnage.   It was the first British legislation passed to regulate slave shipping. In the late 18th century, […]

Bernardo de Monteagudo, Politician born

*Bernardo de Monteagudo was born on this date in 1789.  He was an Afro Argentine political leader at the time of independence. Monteagudo became involved early in the independence movement and was arrested several times. In 1808, he wrote Diálogo entre Atahualpa y Fernando VII, criticizing the colonial system. Monteagudo talked about the need for independence […]

Thaddeus Stevens, Politician, and Abolitionist born

*Thaddeus Stevens was born on this date in 1792. He was a White American abolitionist. Stevens was born in Danville, Vermont.

Brom & Brett v. Ashley is Ruled

*On this date in 1792, Brom & Brett v. Ashley was decided.  This was the first legal decision against American slavery, ordering John Ashley, a white-American slave owner, to release black servants Mum Brett  (Elizabeth Freeman) and Brom (a Negro man) from bondage.   When the case was tried in August 1781 before the County Court of Common Pleas […]

Sam Houston, Politician and Slave Owner born

*Sam Houston was born on this date in 1793. He was a white-American general and statesman. Samuel Houston was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, and inherited a slave plantation and mansion. He had many enslaved people throughout his life. His family migrated to Maryville, Tennessee, when Houston was a teenager. Houston later ran away from […]

James N. Glover, Abolitionist and Soldier born.

*James Nettle Glover was born on this date in 1793.  He was a Black abolitionist and soldier. Born into slavery on a plantation in Port Tobacco, Maryland, he was one of three known War of 1812 veterans buried in Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery. He was the grandson of John Glover, one of four Black siblings […]

Pio Pico, Governor of Mexican California born

The birth of Pio de Jesus Pico in 1801 is marked on this date. He was an African Native Mexican American businessman and politician.

Pico was born in the San Gabriel Mission in Mexico, the son of a soldier, Jose Maria Pico. His father had come from Mexico with the Anza expedition of 1801. The fourth of ten children, Pico’s heritage was a mix of African, Native American, Hispanic, and European roots. A revolutionary in his youth, he was the last Mexican governor of Alta California (now the state of California), the region above what is now Mexico.

Wyndham Robertson, Slave Owner, and Politician born

*Wyndham Robertson was born on this date in 1803. He was a white-American politician, slave owner, and businessman. He was born near Manchester, Chesterfield County, Virginia, across the James River from Richmond. His parents were William Robertson and his wife Elizabeth Bolling, descended from Pocahontas and John Rolfe. His paternal grandfather Archibald Robertson emigrated from […]

Sir James Douglass, Statesman, and Businessman born

*Sir James Douglas was born on this date in 1803.  He was a Black Canadian Statesman.  Born in Demerara, British Guiana, he was the son of John Douglas and Miss Ritchie, a “Creole” woman from Barbados.  The couple had three children: Alexander, James, and Cecilia Eliza. John Douglas’ second family was with Jane Hamilton Douglas, and they had […]

Osceola, Seminole Leader, born

*The birth of Osceola, who was born on this date in 1804, is celebrated. He was a Native leader and interpreter of the Seminole people in Florida. Pronounced Asi-yahola in Creek), Osceola was named Billy Powell at birth in the Creek village of Talisi, which means “Old Town.” The village site, now the city of […]