She was a scout, spy, guerrilla soldier, cook and nurse for the Union Army during the Civil War. Born Araminta Ross in Dorchester County, Maryland (estimated 1820–1822), she escaped and subsequently led hundreds to gain their freedom through her role as a conductor of the Underground Railroad. …

The SixTripleEight: “No Mail, Low Morale” Many historical accounts of wars do not include women. The word “soldier” often brings to mind a man in uniform. Yet by definition it refers to anyone, including women, serving in the military. American women were however, allowed to serve in the army during…

Terrifying news had reached Boston: the infectious, debilitating disease Smallpox had reached the colonial town and was spreading rapidly. Its first victims, passengers on a ship from the Caribbean, were shut up in a house identified only by a red flag that read “God have mercy on this house.” …

Slavery was a cruel and miserable time for people of color. Many were beaten, tortured, or even separated from their families. Their resistance to captivity took many forms, including devising means of escape. …

by Tamara Shiloh What began as a violin lesson from a private teacher and later with endless hours of listening to Red Seal recordings, led to William Grant Still (1895–1978) not only becoming the first African American to conduct a professional symphony orchestra in the U.S., …

by Tamara Shiloh TeachKidsBlackHistory.com First imagined by the French historian Édouard de Laboulaye in 1865, Lady Liberty was created from a desire to represent an alliance between America and France. Her core meaning was to be a mutual desire for freedom and worldwide liberty. …

Many stagecoach routes throughout America’s West covered a variety of terrain on often narrow and rugged trails, through deep sands, endless mud, and along steep inclines. These areas were mostly isolated, making stagecoaches a bandit’s favorite target. The job of stage driver was not one for every person interested. It…

Cornelius Vanderbilt, a wealthy steamship owner, sat in the dining room of Moon’s Lake House in Saratoga Springs, NY, waiting for his meal. It was the summer of 1853. In the kitchen was George Crum (1824–1914), the establishment’s cook. The meal being prepared was likely woodcock or partridge from the…

Historians estimate that one in four cowboys was black, yet little is known about their lives and adventures in the Wild West. The cowboy lifestyle evolved in Texas. White Americans hungry for cheap land had moved into the state’s Spanish (later Mexican) territory during the first half of the 19th…