Tag: United States – Maryland

Africans, African Americans, Great Britain and the United States: The Curious History of the Rio Pongo in the Early 19th Century

In the essay below, Bruce L. Mouser, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, describes the conflicting goals of African Creoles, African Americans, and British and American colonizationists in the fate of the Rio Pongo Valley along the West Coast of Africa.  … Read MoreAfricans, African Americans, Great Britain and the United States: The Curious History of the Rio Pongo in the Early 19th Century

(1864) Abraham Lincoln “Address at a Sanitary Fair”

During the Civil War Northerners organized sanitary fairs to raise funds on behalf of the United States Sanitary Commission, a charitable relief organization which promoted the welfare of Union Soldiers.  President Abraham Lincoln addressed one such fair in Baltimore, Maryland on April 18, 1864.  The … Read More(1864) Abraham Lincoln “Address at a Sanitary Fair”

Blockbusting

Blockbusting refers to the practice of introducing African American homeowners into previously all white neighborhoods in order to spark rapid white flight and housing price decline. Real estate speculators have historically used this technique to profit from prejudice-driven market instability. After intentionally placing an African … Read MoreBlockbusting

Henrietta Lacks and the Debate Over the Ethics of Bio-Medical Research

In the article below Clarence Spigner, DrPH., Professor of Health Services in the School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, briefly describes the saga of Henrietta Lacks whose cells have been used without her family’s permission for over sixty years of bio-medical research.  Dr. … Read MoreHenrietta Lacks and the Debate Over the Ethics of Bio-Medical Research

Vernon Earl “Earl the Pearl” Monroe (1944- )

Vernon Earl “Earl the Pearl” Monroe, a retired National Basketball Association (NBA) player, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1944. During his NBA career Monroe was an All-Star guard for the Baltimore Bullets and New York Knicks. Monroe was a student at Philadelphia’s Bertram High … Read MoreVernon Earl “Earl the Pearl” Monroe (1944- )

Charles Mitchell, Slavery, and Washington Territory in 1860

Few people connect Washington Territory with slavery.  However one incident in 1860 was a reminder that the peculiar institution reached the pre-Civil War Pacific Northwest.  In the account below, historian Lorraine McConaghy describes the saga of Charles Mitchell whose attempted escape from slavery in a … Read MoreCharles Mitchell, Slavery, and Washington Territory in 1860