slavery

The story of the abolition of slavery in America is a long and tortuous one. Like many such stories it has its heroes and its villains. One group that almost always fell on the right side of history was the Society of Friends, better known…

Freedom is a strange thing. Those of us born into it take it for granted. But for those born into slavery freedom is something they would never undervalue. Being a slave is bad enough, but worse is for a slave to see their child born into…

Nat Turner was born into chains on the 2nd October 1800. His name was chosen for him by the man who owned him, owned him even before he was born. Nat’s parents were both slaves, and so he was a slave as well - that was the law in Virginia…

‘Race,’ President Obama said in his farewell address, ‘remains a potent and often divisive force in our society.’  ‘You never really know a person,’ he said, quoting Atticus Finch, hero of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, ‘until you…

Harriet Tubman was born as Araminta Ross in Dorchester County, Maryland, sometime around 1822. The exact year is debatable - nobody bothered recording it, as nobody in authority really cared exactly when a slave baby was born. Because…

Twenty-five years ago, Ireland appeared to be a homogeneous place, with white freckled people everywhere. But things have evolved, and this year has seen an increase in media attention on Ireland and multiculturalism. In particular, there's…

It’s always interesting when a historical figure has to be re-evaluated in the light of new evidence. For over a century James Hammond was a controversial figure, and allegations about his personal life were often seen as merely…