Standing Bear wins recognition as a legal person

Hiram Revels took his Senate seat representing Mississippi. His presence embodied the political opening created by emancipation and Reconstruction. It also challenged claims that Black people were...

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...

Armed colonial forces invaded Parihaka, arrested its leaders, and dispersed residents. Te Whiti and Tohu’s community had practiced nonviolent resistance to land confiscation. The invasion shows that...

The battle at Batoche began as Canadian forces advanced against the Métis provisional government. Métis resistance defended land, political voice, and community survival against settler expansion. The...

Canadian forces captured Batoche after Métis defenders ran short of ammunition. The defeat broke the provisional government’s military resistance, but did not erase Métis demands concerning land and...

Louis Riel was hanged for treason after the North-West Resistance. His leadership centered Métis land and political rights. The execution shows how the settler state criminalized resistance to its...

Brazil’s Golden Law abolished slavery after sustained abolitionist action and enslaved people’s resistance. It offered no comprehensive redistribution of land or compensation to formerly enslaved...