People, Locations, Episodes

Edward Baker, Congressional Medal of Honoree born

Edward Lee Baker, Jr., an African American soldier, was born on this date in 1865.

Born in Platte River, WY, he enlisted in the Army in Cincinnati, OH, in 1882. Baker served with both the 9th and 10th U.S. Cavalry, attaining the rank of Sergeant Major in 1892. Baker saw combat in the Spanish-American War where he earned a Congressional Medal of Honor for braving heavy fire. He saved the life of a comrade during the assault on San Juan Hill on July 1, 1898, in Santiago, Cuba.

Robert Kerlin, Minister, and Soldier born

*Robert Kerlin was born on this date in 1866.  He was a white-American minister, author, soldier, and activist.  From Harrison County, MO., Robert Thomas Kerlin’s parents were from Kentucky, owners of several small farms.  They raised and sold Berkshire Hog and Southdown Sheep.  Confederate properties were seized due to the American Civil War, and his […]

The Civil Rights Act of 1866 is Passed

On this date in 1866, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act over the veto of President Andrew Johnson.

J. Frank Wheaton, Minnesota Lawyer born

*John Frank Wheaton was born on this date in 1866. He was an African American politician and lawyer.

The American Civil Rights Movement, a story

On this date, starting with the year 1866, the African American Registry features a brief article and definition of civil rights.

The ‘Buffalo Soldiers’ Military Units are Created

*On June 28, 1866, an Act of Congress authorized the creation of two cavalry and four infantry regiments, “which shall be composed of colored men.” They were organized as the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 38th through 41st Infantry.

The 9th and 10th Cavalry would go on to play a major role in the history of the West, as the “Buffalo Soldiers”

The 24th Infantry Regiment Is Organized

*On this date in 1866, the 24th Infantry Regiment (one of the Buffalo Soldier regiments) was organized.   The United States Congress reorganized the regular army into five artillery, ten cavalries, and forty-five infantry regiments. Six regiments were reserved for black enlisted personnel in partial recognition of black soldiers’ role during the civil war.   All the enlisted soldiers were […]

Thomas Calloway, Lawyer, and Administrator born

*Thomas Calloway was born on this date in 1866. He was a lawyer and administrator. Thomas Junius Calloway was born in Cleveland, Tenn. He was the fifth in a family of seven children. All the children attended Cleveland public schools; he graduated from Fisk University in 1889. He met his expense with a state scholarship by teaching […]

Charles Scrutchin, Lawyer born

Charles W. Scrutchin was born on this date in 1866. He was an African American lawyer.

Scrutchin was born in Richmond, VA, to Barbara Grafrene and William Scrutchin. The family moved to Georgia when he was 10 years old, and moved again when he was a teenager to Spokane, WA., where he graduated from high school. In 1890, Scrutchin got his undergraduate degree–which he accomplished in three years–from the University of Washington.

Joseph E. Hayford, Editor, and Author born

*Joseph Hayford was born on this date in 1866.  Also known as Ekra-Agiman, he was a Black African journalist, editor, author, lawyer, educator, and politician who supported pan-African nationalism.   Joseph Ephraim Casely Hayford was born in Cape Coast, in the British Gold Coast colony, now Ghana.  His family, part of the Fante Anona clan […]

Kenesaw Landis, Baseball Administrator born

*Kenesaw Landis was born on this date in 1866.  He was a white-American federal judge and the first Commissioner of Baseball.    Kenesaw Mountain Landis was born in Millville, Ohio. His name was a spelling variation on the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in the American Civil War, where his father was wounded in 1864. Landis […]

The Reconstruction Acts are Decided

*The Reconstruction Acts were decided on this date in 1867.   Four statutes were passed during the Reconstruction Era by the 40th United States Congress, which addressed the requirement for Southern States to be readmitted to the Union. Called the Military Reconstruction Acts, the actual title of the initial legislation was “An act to provide for the more efficient government of the Rebel States,” it […]

The Scalawag (Politics), a definition

*Independence Day 1867, the political term scalawag is briefly defined.  A Scalawag was a white-American Southerner who supported Blacks after the American Civil War.   Like the term carpetbagger, the word has a history of use as a slur in one-sided Southern debates. The opponents of the scalawags claimed they were disloyal to traditional values.  The term is commonly used in historical studies as a neutral descriptor […]

Black Votes Influence South Carolina Politics After The American Civil War

On this date in 1867, emancipated Blacks began influencing South Carolina politics, when citizens of the state endorsed their constitutional convention and selected state delegates.

The 14th Amendment is Adopted

*On this date in 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted.   Approved as one of the Reconstruction Amendments, it is one of the most important American amendments to the present day. The amendment addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws and was proposed in response to issues related to former slaves following the American Civil War. The amendment […]