British troops invade Waikato

Māori defenders defeated British troops near Waitara during the First Taranaki War. Their use of terrain and prepared defenses supported resistance to colonial land acquisition. The victory...

The District of Columbia Emancipation Act ended slavery in Washington. The law compensated loyal enslavers and encouraged voluntary emigration. Its provisions illustrate the limits of reform that...

Abraham Lincoln announced that enslaved people in territories still in rebellion at the start of the following year would be declared free. Enslaved people’s flight and abolitionist pressure had...

The proclamation declared freedom for enslaved people in designated Confederate territory and opened military service to Black men. It did not abolish slavery everywhere. Freedom seekers and Black...

A Union operation guided by Harriet Tubman reached plantations along the Combahee River and enabled hundreds to escape slavery. The raid began the previous night. Local knowledge and Black...

British forces assaulted the defensive line at Rangiriri during the Waikato invasion. Māori defenders contested the advance into their territory. The battle connects military resistance to a wider...

After the battle at Rangiriri, British forces took Māori defenders prisoner. The circumstances of the white flag and surrender remain important to interpretations of the event. Their detention...

Colorado volunteers attacked a Cheyenne and Arapaho encampment, killing many women and children. Some leaders had sought peace. The massacre shows how settler expansion and racial dehumanization could...

Congress approved the proposed Thirteenth Amendment after years of abolitionist struggle and wartime emancipation. A constitutional change could remove slavery beyond the limited reach of the...

The Thirteenth Amendment was ratified, prohibiting slavery and involuntary servitude except as punishment for a crime. Ending legal ownership was a fundamental victory. The exception and unequal...