Following a number of letters written on his behalf to U.S. president Andrew Johnson, including one by Richard Fuller, Baltimore pastor and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist minster and editor J. R. Graves is granted amnesty. The former resident of Nashville, Tennessee returns to the state and settles in Memphis, where for…
John Henry Yates (1828-1897) was born into slavery in Virginia. Although Virginia law forbade the teaching of slaves to read or write, the children of Yates’ master taught a young Yates how to read. The Bible was his favorite book. As a young man he “married” (marriage being informal for slaves, due to state laws)…
Charleston is a much different city than prior to Union-occupation. From church pulpits where biblical apologies for black slavery rang out for generations, abolitionists and Unionists now proclaim racially progressive messages and celebrate Northern victory over the Southern rebellion, even though the great conflict is not quite over just yet. To bring closure, Confederate General…