Hiram Revels becomes the first Black US senator

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...

Congress enacted the Civil Rights Act over Andrew Johnson’s veto, asserting citizenship and equal civil rights regardless of race or previous enslavement, with exclusions. The law confronted...

The Fourteenth Amendment was ratified, providing birthright citizenship, due process, and equal protection. It challenged a racial citizenship order associated with slavery. Indigenous people under...

The Fifteenth Amendment was ratified, forbidding denial of voting rights on grounds of race, color, or previous enslavement. It did not enfranchise women or prevent all forms of suppression. Black...

The Free Womb Law declared children born to enslaved women legally free, while allowing arrangements that kept their labor under others’ control for years. The reform demonstrates why abolition must...

Spanish authorities executed three Filipino priests accused of involvement in the Cavite mutiny. Their treatment became a symbol of injustice within colonial rule and the church. The memory of...

After a long flight from forced relocation, a Nez Perce group ceased fighting at Bear Paw, close to Canada. Chief Joseph’s surrender followed a siege that endangered families as well as fighters....

Zulu fighters defeated a British force at Isandlwana during the invasion of the Zulu kingdom. The victory demonstrated organized African resistance and challenged claims of inevitable European...

A federal judge ruled that Standing Bear and his companions were persons entitled to seek habeas corpus. Their challenge arose after forced removal of the Ponca. Recognition protected freedom from...