Treated as non-humans by Southern state laws in the decades prior to and during the war, slaves were not allowed to marry. Many slave couples compensated by engaging in simple rituals signifying informal marriages. White Baptist leaders of the South remained defiantly supportive of black slavery throughout the war, although some voiced support of laws…
This month reality begins setting in among the freedmen of the Sea Islands along the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia. The land they were promised, the land upon which they are now trying to make a living and support their families, is imperiled. In January Union General William T. Sherman signed an order turning…
Delegates to the Hiwassee United Baptist Association of Tennessee, in annual meeting in Roane County, discuss and debate the recent Civil War. The South’s role in the war is considered as that of the aggressor, but the association seeks distance from political conflict and “unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.” The question…