Revisit: PORT CHICAGO MUTINY (1944)

The Port Chicago Mutiny involved African American enlisted men in the U.S. Navy who refused to return to loading ammunition after a disastrous explosion at Port Chicago, California on July 17, 1944 that destroyed the Liberty ship SS E.A. Bryan.  Sailors and dock workers were pressured by time and their superiors and were also using unsafe unloading methods. Continue reading Revisit: PORT CHICAGO MUTINY (1944)

Revisit: OBERLIN-WELLINGTON RESCUE (1858)

Tensions leading up to the Civil War often manifested themselves through conflicts over the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. The Oberlin-Wellington Rescue was one such instance of this. It was a struggle between supporters of slavery and supporters of freedom, the outcome of which would decide the fate of a young African American man named John Price. Continue reading Revisit: OBERLIN-WELLINGTON RESCUE (1858)

Revisit: NEW ORLEANS MASSACRE (1866)

The New Orleans Massacre, also known as the New Orleans Race Riot, occurred on July 30, 1866.  While the riot was typical of numerous racial conflicts during Reconstruction, this incident had special significance. It galvanized national opposition to the moderate Reconstruction policies of President Andrew Johnson and ushered in much more sweeping Congressional Reconstruction in 1867. Continue reading Revisit: NEW ORLEANS MASSACRE (1866)