African American History

Revisit: OKEECHOBEE HURRICANE OF 1928

On September 16, 1928, the Okeechobee Hurricane or Hurricane San Felipe Segundo, one of the most devastating tropical cyclones in Florida’s weather history and one of the ten most intense hurricanes to hit the United States mainland, came ashore near Palm Beach, Florida. It began as a tropical depression somewhere between West Africa’s Cape Verde and Senegal, but by the time it crossed the Atlantic Ocean, it was the first recorded Category 5 hurricane in the country’s history, with winds at 140 miles per hour. The Okeechobee Hurricane came without the warning systems available today for such storms, and state and local officials were barely prepared for the catastrophe. The storm’s impact was made worse by the ineffective communication and political posturing of Republican President Calvin Coolidge and Democratic Governor Doyle Elam Carlton, Sr. Continue reading Revisit: OKEECHOBEE HURRICANE OF 1928

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African American History

THE BRIDGET “BIDDY” MASON CASE, 1856

In the 1856 landmark case Mason v. Smith, Bridget “Biddy” Mason sued her master for her and her family’s freedom, a full year before the infamous Dred Scott v. Sandford decision. In the Dred Scott case, the court ruled that enslaved persons did not become free when brought to free states. Before that ruling, Bridget Mason’s owner, Robert Smith, transported his slaves to Salt Lake City and then on to San Bernardino, California, to establish a new Mormon community there. At the time, California was a free state, and free Black friends of Bridget’s encouraged her to legally contest her slave status. In December 1855, afraid that his slaves would be taken from him, Smith decided to move, transporting his slaves to Texas (a slave state) in order to protect his ownership. Continue reading THE BRIDGET “BIDDY” MASON CASE, 1856

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African American History

Revisit: MISSISSIPPI BLACK CODES, 1865-1866

Following the passage of the 13th Amendment on January 31, 1865, slavery was officially ended throughout the United States, including in the eleven former Confederate States. Almost immediately governments in these states began a process to reestablish white supremacy in the law. The result was the propagation of so-called “Black Codes” in 1865-1866. Continue reading Revisit: MISSISSIPPI BLACK CODES, 1865-1866

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African American History

THE BIRMINGHAM CHILDREN’S CRUSADE (MAY 1963)

arly in 1963, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) leaders Dr. Martin Luther King, Reverend Ralph Abernathy, and local Birmingham leader of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights Fred Shuttlesworth, came together to lead a campaign to desegregate Birmingham, Alabama, a city notorious for its discriminatory practices. A plan was put in place for a series of protests. Mass meetings were held at the 16th Street Baptist church with local adults and their children, including training for non-violent peaceful protests. Continue reading THE BIRMINGHAM CHILDREN’S CRUSADE (MAY 1963)

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