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)…
While three years of fragmentation have brought little healing between North and South, there are growing signs that reconciliation is possible, evidenced in a surprisingly positive response–from certain states in the South–to U. S. Abraham Lincoln‘s four month-old offer of amnesty and reconstruction. Yet even within the glimmers of reconciliation remains a stark reality: the…
In December United States President Abraham Lincoln issued his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. The edict signified the formal beginning of efforts to reconcile Southern citizens and states with the Union. Full pardons were extended to persons fighting against the Union, other than upper-level military leaders and Confederate officials. In addition, the proclamation provided a…