1800 Archives

An Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World manuscript cover.

Sept. 28, 1829: An Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World

David Walker published An Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World, one of the most important documents of the 19th century.

Nov. 7, 1837: Elijah Parish Lovejoy Murdered

Minister, journalist, newspaper editor, and abolitionist Elijah Parish Lovejoy was murdered by a pro-slavery mob.

Jan. 6, 1811: Charles Sumner is Born

Born on this day in Massachusetts, Charles Sumner was outspoken against slavery, for full recognition of Haiti, against the U.S.-Mexico War, for true reconstruction with land distribution, against school segregation, and much more.

April 11, 1835: Thaddeus Stevens Gives Speech in Defense of Free Schools Act

Thaddeus Stevens gave a speech in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in defense of the Free Schools Act of 1834, which moved the state House to vote against repeal and the Senate to take another vote in support of free public schools.

Oct. 17, 1837: Petition to Repeal Black Codes in Ohio

The first general convention of African American Ohioans met in Columbus and pledged to continue raising their voices in order to repeal the Black Codes.

Nov. 15, 1842: Slave Revolt at Webbers Falls

The Slave Revolt of 1842 — when dozens of enslaved Black people in Webbers Falls, Oklahoma fought back and briefly escaped from their Cherokee overseers — was the largest rebellion of enslaved people in Indian Territory history.

The Counter Revolution of 1836: Texas Slavery & Jim Crow and the Roots of American Fascism

Book — Non-fiction. By Gerald Horne. 2022. 632 pages.
A detailed history of counterrevolutionary forces in Texas state history.

South to Freedom: Runaway Slaves to Mexico and the Road to the Civil War

Book — Non-fiction. By Alice L. Baumgartner. 2020. 384 pages.
The story of why Mexico abolished slavery and how its increasingly radical antislavery policies fueled the sectional crisis in the United States.

late April 1821: U.S. Attack on Maroon Community at Angola

After becoming governor of Florida in 1821, Andrew Jackson attacked the native and Black maroon community at Angola.

a scene depicting the battle between the enslaved and their overseers during the Demerara Uprising in Guyana

Aug. 18, 1823: The Demerara Uprising

This was the largest uprising of the enslaved against their British overseers in Guyana. The uprising was ended after a few days, though it served as a catalyst for the abolition of slavery in British colonies soon thereafter.

Gabriel Flores' ceiling mural at the Castillo de Chapultepec depicts Juan Escutia leaping from the castle walls to his death, wrapped in the Mexican flag in order to prevent the flag from falling into enemy (U.S.) hands.

Sept. 13, 1847: Los Niños Héroes of the U.S. Mexico War

The Niños Héroes (translated as Boy Heroes or Heroic Cadets) were six military cadets killed in the Battle of Chapultepec, one of the last battles of the U.S. Mexico War.

The Constitution of the Maine Anti-Slavery Society, which was founded in May 1833.

Oct. 15, 1834: First Maine Anti-Slavery Society Convention

The first Maine Anti-Slavery Society Convention was held in Augusta.

Sketch of people debating at the Colored Convention in Washington D.C.

Oct. 6, 1841: Maine’s First Colored Convention

The first Colored Convention in Maine was an opportunity for northern Black abolitionists to organize and strategize for racial justice and the freedom of those still enslaved throughout the South.

Sept. 29, 1841: Frederick Douglass Protests Segregated Travel

In protest of Jim Crow discrimination on public transportation, Frederick Douglass and his friend, white politician James N. Buffum, boarded a Eastern Railroad Company train, in a first class car and were promptly ejected from the train.

May 4, 1884: Ida B. Wells Protests Segregated Seating on Train

Ida B. Wells stood up to injustice by refusing to change seats on a segregated Chesapeake, Ohio & Southwestern Railroad train, leading to a legal battle over racially discriminatory laws.

Teaching the Impact of the Gold Rush on Native Americans of California: A Source Investigation

Teaching Activity. Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian Native Knowledge 360° initiative. 9 pages.
Provides primary sources, maps, images, and background history to offer teachers and students insight into the impact of the California gold rush on Native Americans.

Sept. 25, 1840: William Freeman Imprisoned and Challenged Convict Leasing

At 15 years old, William Freeman was incarcerated in the Auburn State Prison, America’s original prison for profit. From the start, he challenged the system of convict leasing.

Dec. 24, 1829: Georgia Bans Insurrectionary Literature

Enacted in response to David Walker’s Appeal, this law criminalized the distribution of materials that could incite rebellion to slavery, reflecting fears of literacy empowering resistance.

May 24, 1833: The Connecticut “Black Law” Enacted

One of many anti-literacy laws at the time, this law prohibited the establishment of schools for Black students who were not residents of Connecticut.

April 7, 1831: Virginia Literacy Ban Enacted

Enacted following Nat Turner’s Rebellion, this Virginia law prohibited the education of enslaved and free Black people, seeking to suppress potential uprisings. Several other states enacted similar bans at this time as well.

Freedom's Journal, Vol. 1 No. 1, March 16, 1827.

March 16, 1827: Freedom’s Journal Established

Freedom’s Journal was the first African American owned and operated newspaper in the United States.

The Birchbark House

Book — Historical fiction. By Louise Erdrich. 1999. 244 pages.
Historical fiction set in the mid-19th century in the Lake Superior area. Part of a series of chapter books.

A mural on Whiterock Road in Belfast commemorating the Irish famine. The mural reads "Britain's genocide by starvation. Ireland's holocaust, 1845-1849. Over 1,500,000 deaths."

Hunger on Trial: An Activity on the Irish Potato Famine and Its Meaning for Today

Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow. Rethinking Schools. 5 pages.
A trial role play helps students reflect on responsibility for the deaths of Irish peasants during the so-called potato famine.

Teaching Activity by Bill Bigelow

Poetry of Defiance: How the Enslaved Resisted

Teaching Activity. By Adam Sanchez.
Through a mixer activity, students encounter how enslaved people resisted the brutal exploitation of slavery. The lesson culminates in a collective class poem highlighting the defiance of the enslaved.

April 25, 1846: U.S. Mexico War Begins

Today’s border with Mexico is the product of invasion and war. Grasping some of the motives for that war and some of its immediate effects begins to provide students the kind of historical context that is crucial for thinking about the line that separates the United States and Mexico.

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