Category Archives: Race, History & American Society

Writing on race, Black history, slavery, segregation, civil rights, white supremacy, racial inequality, historical memory, and the continuing influence of American history on contemporary society.

This day in history — April 9, 1865 – Lee Surrenders to Grant at Appomattox Court House

Posted on April 9, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his approximately 28,000 troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in the front parlor of Wilmer McLean’s home in Appomattox Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the Civil War. Less than … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 7, 1712 — Enslaved People Revolt in New York City

Posted on April 7, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In 1712, New York City had a large enslaved population and the city’s whites feared the threat of rebellion. Enslaved people in New York City suffered many of the same brutal punishments and methods of control faced by their counterparts … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 5, 1921– Georgia: White Landowner Faces Trial in Murder of Eleven Black Sharecroppers

Posted on April 5, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Although slavery was officially abolished in 1865, African Americans continued to be held as de facto slaves in systems of peonage, a form of debt bondage. โ€œPeonsโ€ or indentured servants owed money to their โ€œmastersโ€ and were forced to work … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 4, 1968 — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Assassinated

Posted on April 4, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Thirteen hundred African American sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, went on strike on February 12, 1968, to protest low pay and poor treatment. When city leaders largely ignored the strike and refused to negotiate, the workers sought assistance from civil … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 3, 1851 — Thomas Sims, Escaped Slave, Captured in Boston

Posted on April 3, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Thomas Sims, Escaped Slave, Captured in Boston In 1850, the U.S. Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act, which sought to force Northern officials to apprehend alleged runaway slaves and ensure their return to slavery in the South. Any official who … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 2, 1933 — Reuben Micou Lynched in Winston County, Mississippi

Posted on April 2, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Reuben Micou Lynched in Winston County, Mississippi On April 2, 1933, a mob of white men broke into the Winston County, Mississippi jail in Louisville, Mississippi to lynch a 65-year-old black man named Reuben Micou. Mr. Micou had been arrested … Continue reading →

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Confederate Soldiers Fought During the Vietnam War

Posted on March 30, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Did you know that during the Vietnam War, a division of American soldiers was fighting under a Confederate flag?ย  President Johnson wanted the flags removed.* This is yet another example of the South not conceding that it lost the Civil … Continue reading →

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This day in history — March 30, 2018 — No Bloody Friday!

Posted on March 30, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On this day in history, the Equal Racial Justice Initiative’sย A History of Racial Injustice – 2018 Calendar, does not report an incident….ย  I wonder if racist whites ceased their Reign of Terror against Black people because it was Good Friday?ย  … Continue reading →

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On this day in history – March 9, 1892

Posted on March 9, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Ida B. Wells’ friends Thomas Moss, Calvin McDowell, and Henry Steward are lynched in Memphis, Tennessee, sparking Wells’ lifelong crusade against lynching. From the Equal Justice Initiative’s A History of Racial Injustice – 2018 Calendar. โ€œThe Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) … Continue reading →

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On this day in history – March 8, 1655

Posted on March 8, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Virginia Colony court rules against John Casor, a black indentured servant who sued for his freedom after being forced to work past his term, and declares him a slave for life. From the Equal Justice Initiative’s A History of Racial … Continue reading →

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