Free Blacks Lived on the Edge Between Slavery and Freedom When Henry Brown arrived in Richmond in 1830 at the age of 15, the city boasted a population of roughly 16,000--half of which were African-American. There were 6,345 slaves in Richmond, but there were...
Slave Patrols and Passes Aimed to Keep Slaves Under Control Henry made his way north through the dark alleys behind the buildings along Fourteenth Street. The darkness was heavy like a tomb, giving Henry a dread sense of confinement. It was a closing in, a boxing in,...
Canton, Ohio, Embraces The Disappearing Man There's something about Ohio. Cincinnati, Ohio, is home of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, where I first discovered the story of Henry "Box"Â Brown and his incredible escape from slavery. Now, Canton,...
Richmond Was Not Gone With the Wind I did a flurry of radio interviews a few weeks back just prior to my book signing at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. And one of the longest interviews was with Alan Jarand from the RFD Radio Network out of...
The Search for 'Biologically Superior' People Brings Ludicrous (and Dangerous) Results In the 1920s, pigs, sheep, and other farm animals weren't the only creatures bringing home blue ribbons from the fair. So were humans. Starting at the Kansas Free Fair, people...