By Audrey Peterman
Black History is grounded on the land, in the buildings and artifacts protected in America’s National Park System. The System is spread out across the country and includes many of the places where our ancestors were instrumental in the exploration, development and defense of our country. On this second leg of our tour we walk through a timeline of some of the most significant events from 1776 to 1865.
Exploration: The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail stretches 1,200 miles from Nogales, Arizona to San Francisco Bay. This is the route taken by the Spanish Commander Juan Bautista de Anza II in 1776-77, recruiting almost 300 people mostly from African, Hispanic and Native backgrounds, to bushwhack their way through forests and deserts to find a new land route to San Francisco. One member died enroute. The rest of the party went on to help settle and develop the Bay Area and build the Presidio as part of Spain’s coastal defense system.
Challenging the Laws: The Dred Scott Courthouse (Old Courthouse) where Dred and Harriet successfully sued for their freedom in 1847 is part of the Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, MO. Subsequent appeals were upheld by the Supreme Court which ruled that “slaves” were property, and therefore had no right to sue. The decision outraged abolitionists and exacerbated the debate between North and South, ultimately precipitating the secession of southern states from the Union.
A Blow Against Slavery: Harpers Ferry National Historical Park spanning West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland includes John Brown’s Fort, which the patriot attacked with an ‘army’ including members of his family and enslaved people. His goal was to strike a decisive blow against slavery. Determined to seize the 100,000 weapons at the Arsenal and use the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains for guerilla warfare, he launched the raid October 16, 1859. He captured several strategically relevant areas, but within 36 hours most of his men had been killed and he was captured in the Armory fire engine house, now known as John Brown’s Fort, when US Marines stormed the building.
Civil War: At Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park in Charleston Harbor, SC, confederate forces fired upon Federal troops at Fort Sumter at 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, launching the Civil War. It would cost more than 620,000 lives and define the course of America away from its slaveholding past. This site was also important in repelling the British in the Revolutionary War.
Seeking Freedom: At Fort Monroe National Monument, in Virginia, also known as Freedom’s Fortress, one of the most consequential decisions was taken late May, 1861 when three enslaved men – Frank Baker, Shepard Mallory, and James Townsend—fled to Fort Monroe seeking refuge. It led to the brilliant “Contraband Decision,” which enabled thousands of enslaved people from states in rebellion to seek refuge behind Union lines.
Deadliest Battle: The battle at Antietam National Battlefield, September 17, 1862 resulted in the greatest number of soldiers killed, missing or wounded in one day – 23,000. It settled the question of whether the enslaved people would fight if they were armed and established that the conflict was indeed over the future of slavery and not “state’s rights” as some disingenuously claimed. The Battle led President Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
Pursuit of Freedoms: The Frederick Douglass National Historical Site in Washington, DC preserves the home of the great abolitionist. Frederick Douglass and his contemporary Harriett Tubman are the face of both the Abolition and Women’s Suffrage movements in stories told at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park and the Belmont Paul Women’s Equality National Monument on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
Civil War Victory: At Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park in Virginia, Confederate E General Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865. “The heart of the terms was that Confederates would be paroled after surrendering their weapons and other military property. If surrendered soldiers did not take up arms again, the United States government would not prosecute them. General Grant also allowed Confederate officers to keep their mounts and side arms….” according to the records.
We can experience all these places relatively unimpaired because they are protected in the National Park System “for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations” Let’s take advantage of the information within them to help secure our democracy and our children’s future.
(Audrey Peterman is an environmentalist since 1995, and a leading author and advocate for national parks. Book her to speak at your event, Audrey@AudreyPeterman.com)
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