Good Morning POU! A recent article in the Philly Inquirer is the basis for this week's topic. Where is John Person? Ten years have gone by since his mother, Hannah Cole, last saw him. The pain of his disappearance, the mystery of his whereabouts, and the aching question of whether he is alive or dead have driven her to take out an advertisement in the Christian … [Read more...] about Monday Open Thread: Families and Freedom – The Fight To Reunite After Emancipation
The Civil War
Monday Open Thread: The History of the Exodusters
Good Morning POU! This week we will explore the history and significance of The Exodusters Movement. Exodusters waiting for a steamboat to carry them westward in the late 1870's. Exodusters was a name given to African Americans who migrated from states along the Mississippi River to primarily Kansas, as well as other surrounding states in the late nineteenth century, … [Read more...] about Monday Open Thread: The History of the Exodusters
Friday Open Thread: African American Military Heroes
TGIF POU! Today's featured heroes all received the Medal of Honor for their actions during the Civil War. "Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letter, U.S., let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on earth that can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship." - Frederick … [Read more...] about Friday Open Thread: African American Military Heroes
Thursday Open Thread: African American War Heroes
Good Morning POU! Today's feature is the first African American to receive the Medal of Honor, the highest award given by Congress to service men and women. William Harvey Carney Carney was born simply as "William," a slave in Norfolk, Virginia on February 29, 1840. He ended up escaping through the Underground Railroad, and found his father living in Massachusetts. … [Read more...] about Thursday Open Thread: African American War Heroes
Wednesday Open Thread: The Underground Railroad
Happy Hump Day POU! Today's post is not so much about the Underground Railroad, as it is about the Underground Postal Service. This is truly a story that deserves the big screen. Henry "Box" Brown (c.1816–after 1889) was a 19th-century Virginia slave who escaped to freedom by arranging to have himself mailed to Philadelphia abolitionists in a wooden crate after 33 years of … [Read more...] about Wednesday Open Thread: The Underground Railroad