Mastodawn

Susan Colantuono Jul 5, 2023

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco

The Exodusters were Black Americans who migrated westward, particularly to Kansas, in the late 19th century fleeing southern violence & discrimination. In 1879, 1000s of Exodusters embarked on an arduous journey, hoping to finally find freedom, land, & economic independence. It is known as the Exoduster Movement and it was the first great migration of Black Americans after the Civil War.

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#BlackMastodon #Histodons #History #Kansas #StillWeRise #BlackHistory
 @[email protected] @BlackMastodon

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

Even prior to its incorporation into the United States, the West witnessed the arrival of Black Americans, brought by Spanish explorers and slaveholders. In the early years of the new republic, a small number of freed people and those seeking freedom migrated westward.

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#BlackMastodon #Histodons #History #Kansas #StillWeRise #BlackHistory

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

Enslaved Black Americans were also brought to the West by their enslavers from the Five "Civilized" Tribes in the 1810s - the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek (Muscogee), and Seminole - to settle in Indian Territory.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

After the conclusion of the Civil War, people began scouting welcoming areas in the West for Black settlement. This period, which should have been a time of celebration and advancement for Black-Americans in the South, became marred by the determination of numerous Southern whites to marginalize black individuals socially and economically.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

In the aftermath of the Civil War, freed black Americans experienced a brief period of progress. They acquired land, established schools, and actively participated in their communities. However, in the Southern states, the challenge of sustaining themselves by renting farmland as tenant farmers proved difficult, with owning land being a rarity for black individuals.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

To hinder Black-American progress, those in power prevented their participation in the political arena. Freed blacks strongly supported the Republican Party, while a significant portion of white Southerners remained loyal to the Democratic Party, leading to cunning tactics employed by whites to deny African-Americans their right to vote and prevent full integration into society.

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#BlackMastodon #Histodons #History #Kansas #StillWeRise #BlackHistory

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

Federal troops stationed in the former Confederate states sought to ensure compliance with laws and regulations for reintegration into the Union. However, the protection provided to Black-Americans by these troops was often limited, and their withdrawal in 1877 under President Rutherford B. Hayes gave the white ruling class unrestricted power to terrorize and oppress freed Black Americans.

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#BlackMastodon #Histodons #History #Kansas #StillWeRise #BlackHistory

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

Organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and The White League of Louisiana unleashed violence and intimidation to hinder voting rights and restrict settlement choices. The failure of Reconstruction led to what Carter G. Woodson described as a "modified form of slavery."

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#BlackMastodon #Histodons #History #Kansas #StillWeRise #BlackHistory

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

In response to the escalating violence, many Black families sought opportunities to leave the South. Kansas emerged as an attractive option due to its association with freedom during the Bleeding Kansas era and notable figures like John Brown. The prospect of homesteading in Kansas added to its appeal as a seemingly ideal living environment.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

Sharecropping, which tied workers to landowners, resembled the oppression of slavery, and predatory lending worsened black American conditions. But, the Homestead Act and other progressive land laws provided an opportunity for black Americans to escape racism and oppression in the post-war South. These laws enabled them to become landowners, offering a path to their own private farmland.

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#BlackMastodon #Histodons #History #Kansas #StillWeRise #BlackHistory

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

The prospect of owning land must have seemed like an answered prayer to those who had endured a life of labor under white masters without freedom or compensation. Consequently, many black Americans contemplated migrating to western states like Kansas.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

The Black-American exodus of 1879 was heavily influenced by the outcomes of the 1878 elections in Louisiana, where the Democratic Party gained significant political power, including congressional seats and the governorship. This surge in Democratic influence led to coercion, threats, assaults, and even murders targeting freed blacks who predominantly supported the Republican Party.

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#BlackMastodon #Histodons #History #Kansas #StillWeRise #BlackHistory

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

Faced with the suppression of their voting rights, black residents of Louisiana saw the election results as a signal to leave the state and join those who had already settled in Kansas.In response to this mass migration, Senator Daniel W. Voorhees of Indiana proposed a Senate investigation, joined by Senator William Windom of Minnesota, who added an inquiry into possible violations of civil rights that may have triggered the exodus.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

A petition from The Negro Union Co-operative Aid Association and The Freedmen of Shreveport, Louisiana, was presented to the Senate, highlighting the plight of Black Americans in a state of modern feudalism, free in name but subject to the control of former slaveholders. Despite testimonies and discussions in early 1880, the issue remained unresolved, with both sides presenting their evidence but maintaining their original positions.

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Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

With “sharecropping,” the progress of freed Black Americans after slavery was impeded by specific economic challenges. Having spent most of their lives as slaves, their knowledge and skills were primarily limited to farming. Even for those who had acquired alternative skills, the lack of non-agricultural opportunities in the region, combined with pervasive white supremacy, hindered their advancement.

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#BlackMastodon #Histodons #History #Kansas #StillWeRise #BlackHistory

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

Although the sharecropping arrangement didn't resemble a master-slave relationship on paper, it likely felt distressingly similar to the African-Americans who had endured such humiliation and frustration. Unfortunately, many freed blacks had limited alternative skills and responsibilities to support their families, making it feel like an inescapable dilemma.

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#BlackMastodon #Histodons #History #Kansas #StillWeRise #BlackHistory

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

As farmers, newly emancipated black Americans lacked the financial means to purchase their own land, often forcing them to return to work for the same white individuals who had once enslaved them. The difference now was that these white landowners paid them with a share of the crops, resulting in meager wages after deductions for basic necessities.

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#BlackMastodon #Histodons #History #Kansas #StillWeRise #BlackHistory

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

Pervasive bigotry of white Southerners, and the accounts from Black-Americans already settled in Kansas fueled determination of freed men and women in the South to embark on the journey to Kansas. Consequently, many African-Americans began to see permanent relocation from the South as their only real opportunity for a fresh start. The movement towards western regions like Kansas began. Thus, by early 1879, the "Kansas Fever Exodus" had begun.

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#BlackMastodon #Histodons #History #Kansas

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

Despite the unfamiliarity of the destination and the difficulty of leaving their only known home behind, numerous individuals and families were willing to undertake the journey.

The allure of Kansas for Black-Americans during this time can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, its proximity to the South played a role. Compared to more distant frontier lands like California or Oregon, Kansas was relatively closer and more accessible.

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#BlackMastodon #Histodons #History #Kansas

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

Traveling to Kansas from various parts of the South involved a boat or train ride to St. Louis, which was a simpler and more affordable journey compared to reaching far-off destinations. After arriving, many didn't have a clear plan for crossing Missouri and reaching Kansas. However, whatever hardships they faced during this part of the journey would be preferable to the conditions they left behind in the South.

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#BlackMastodon #Histodons #History #Kansas #StillWeRise #BlackHistory

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 5, 2023

The human aspect also played a significant role in the choice of Kansas as the new Promised Land. The actions of anti-slavery activists like John Brown had bestowed a sacred significance upon Kansas in the eyes of many African-Americans. The memory of John Brown and other abolitionist fighters who shed their blood to keep slavery out resonated deeply, making Kansas appear as the ideal place to start afresh.

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Kris Samsel Jul 5, 2023

@Deglassco Old white bastard called me a boy. I laughed at him. Asshole turned red in the face. I’m white. Surprised me. Asshole thinks he’s living in the 50’s. I’ll walk away from idiots. I did. (Jacksonville, FL. 2018.)

Pete Jul 6, 2023

@humansriseup @Deglassco Wonderful thread from D Elisabeth Glassco. Thank you so much.

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 6, 2023

@petep44 thank you.

Carpe Astra KC Jul 5, 2023

@Deglassco https://www.nps.gov/articles/nicodemus.htm#:~:text=Nicodemus%20is%20still%20a%20living,for%20keeping%20the%20community%20alive.

Nicodemus, Kansas is an interesting piece of this history.

Kansas: Nicodemus National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 6, 2023

@CarpeAstra it is. I wonder what it would have been like today had the railroad not passed it by.

Karen Strickholm Jul 6, 2023

@Deglassco The Union soldier... I live in NM and there is still a Buffalo Soldier tradition here, especially in the southern half.

CartyBoston Jul 6, 2023

I am reading all of them but what an amazing picture.

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 7, 2023

@CartyBoston 🙏

Deborah Rose ❌👑Jul 6, 2023

@Deglassco This is a really interesting story of Nathan Harrison - Archaeology Magazine
https://www.archaeology.org/issues/414-2103/features/9443-california-nathan-harrison-pioneer

The Amazing True Story of Nathan Harrison - Archaeology Magazine

Excavations of a mountain cabin uncover the hidden life of a formerly enslaved man who became a California legend

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 7, 2023

@DebErupts thank you for the link. I’m reading it now.

Deborah Rose ❌👑Jul 7, 2023

@Deglassco A few years ago, I drove up a dirt road to Harrison Serenity Ranch for a women's drum circle. It's a beautiful place to visit.

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 7, 2023

@DebErupts beautiful.

Frank Cote Jul 5, 2023

@Deglassco Indians kept slaves!?!

fulanigirl has moved Jul 5, 2023

@Deglassco Just wanted to jump in at this point of the thread since it's pre-Civil War. Historians have only recently begun to write about the extensive free Black communities in the "Old Northwest. " which was Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. In fact free Black people were in OH starting in the late 1790's. Today we know there were some 338 free Black settlements between 1800 and 1860 spread through OH, IN, IL WC and MI. Many of, them were from NC, VA, and TN.

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 6, 2023

@fulanigirl thank you for that. Good to know. We mostly think of Black people in the west as going there during the exodus or as slaves.

Wolleysegap Jul 6, 2023

@fulanigirl @Deglassco I learned some of that, grew up in Ohio. But it certainly wasn't in our Board of Ed approved history textbook.

fulanigirl has moved Jul 7, 2023

@Wolleysegap @Deglassco Even some of the early Black scholars didn't know how extensive the settlements were. DuBois thought he understood and mentioned them in his writings but he only skimmed what we now know to be the surface. Much of the new info was uncovered through...wait for it...genealogical research of the authors' families! Their elders' stories caused them to investigate more thoroughly and write PhD dissertations that turned into books. Gotta love academics.

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 7, 2023

@fulanigirl Indeed!

fulanigirl has moved Jul 7, 2023

@Wolleysegap @Deglassco One of the amazing things I learned was that the NC communities would send an advance recognizance group to check out the situation in OH and IN. If they made it back, and some didn't, with good news, whole communities would migrate. There were over 200 people from 10 different families that my relatives migrated with in 1846. But, my first OH relative arrived in 1805. We stayed looking for some place where we could live in peace.

JohnMashey Jul 7, 2023

@fulanigirl @Wolleysegap @Deglassco
Interesting history, and somewhat related, which you likely know, but followers may not: Chatham Ontario was a destination of Underground Railroad, which was familiar from H.S. AP History, but not Chatham specifically, so a visit there was instructive.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatham-Kent#Black_Population
There a several Black history museums worth visiting in area, such as https://ckbhs.org/, which has a gun of John Brown's.
Another in nearby Buxton is:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buxton_National_Historic_Site_and_Museum

Chatham-Kent - Wikipedia

JohnMashey Jul 7, 2023

@fulanigirl @Wolleysegap @Deglassco
Note that this map calls out Chatham, just East of Detroit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Railroad

Underground Railroad - Wikipedia

fulanigirl has moved Jul 7, 2023

@JohnMashey @Wolleysegap @Deglassco Canada has multiple sites of immigration for Black folks throughout North American history. Not only were there multiple underground railroad sites but members of the USCT from OH and Michigan also relocated specifically to Chatham after the end of the Civil War.

JohnMashey Jul 7, 2023

@fulanigirl @Wolleysegap @Deglassco
Agreed, hence my reply that had one of the route maps. From all the maps I saw, it certainly did look like Lower Ontario was a major destination.

Wolleysegap Jul 7, 2023

@fulanigirl @Deglassco I hope you found that place, truly I do.
Reading your posts have made me empathize with the people you write about. Historical figures, to be sure, but real people just the same. In empathizing with them I felt real aggression toward the people who were being hateful to them, and for no other reason than a difference in appearance, the color of their skin. And than I hit a dichotomy, a fault line in my self. I have done racist things. I have never worn a robe and a hood and burned a cross in someone's yard, but I have said some hateful things to people. I was, in a way, angry at myself. Felt like stumbling into a wasp's nest. I wanted to say hey, make it stop! I didn't understand what was happening in my own head well enough to deal with it very well. I have a better handle on it now. Sorry I made an ass of myself. You are a very gracious person. And I hope you found your place of peace, you and all your family.

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 7, 2023

@Wolleysegap Thanks 🙏

Wolleysegap Jul 8, 2023

@Deglassco I have been to at least one of the country graveyards that is probably the only thing left of a former community of black settlers in the region of the state where I live. It was a long time ago, a field trip when I was in grade school. There were a few markers, I recall them being mostly the same family name, but I can't recall the name. You could work out the relationships of some of them by the inscriptions on the stones. And then the foundation of a building, I don't know if it had been the homestead of the family or the church. I did not at the time realize the significance of the place. I remember the teacher saying that the land was held in trust by some part of the local government, I think a township, that's how the counties are divided here. And the cemetery (such as it was, fewer than 20 markers, as I recall) was maintained by a group of volunteers. I would guess that in that part of the state it would be mostly farmers and hunters who would know where such places where. And maybe land surveyors. Anyway. All day at work I was thinking that I should have responded to what you had said.

IainMac9 🇦🇺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇸🇩Jul 5, 2023

@Deglassco @[email protected] @BlackMastodon excellent thread - thank you!

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 6, 2023

Olympia Indivisible Jul 5, 2023

@Deglassco @[email protected] @BlackMastodon Fantastic Thread!

InarticulateQuilter Jul 5, 2023

@Deglassco I am learning so much about my home state from your posts. Thank you for sharing such detailed information

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 6, 2023

@inarticulatequilter thank you for reading it.

Bonnie Schwertner Jul 5, 2023

@[email protected] @BlackMastodon @Deglassco I can’t tell you how excited my inner student gets, when I see a thread by you! Now to read and absorb.

One World One People Jul 6, 2023

@Deglassco @[email protected] @BlackMastodon TWW: The moment is vast and your place within it is connected with all people from the time you breathe the same air and drink the same water as the very first. *This is a bit off subject, I just think more people should know our Northwest history and you might enjoy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bush_(pioneer) Peace for all. OWOP

George Bush (pioneer) - Wikipedia

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 7, 2023

@OWOP thank you for the link. I’m going to check it out.

creckling Jul 6, 2023

@Deglassco @[email protected] @BlackMastodon
Great thread. I learned so much they never teach in US History!

Dr. D. Elisabeth Glassco Jul 7, 2023

@creckling 🙏

to the moon and back Jul 7, 2023

@BlackMastodon @Deglassco @[email protected] Wow! Thank you for posting this. Saving a link because it will take me more than one read to absorb.