a fire engulfs a house in flames
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A Brief History of The KKK

A Brief History of the KKK What is the history of the KKK? It all starts with the Civil War. On March 21, 1861, Confederate Vice President Alexander Stevens declared in his Cornerstone Speech: “Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea {of the United States’ Constitution declaring equality for everyone}; its foundations are laid, its corner-stone…

a stone building with a lone window with bars across the window

Native American Residential Schools in the United States

Native American Residential Schools in the United States Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania was the first Native American Residential School in the United States. The school was founded by U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Richard Henry Pratt, a self-proclaimed Christian who wanted to “save” Native American children through cultural genocide. Across the United States and parts of Canada, over…

bare basic hospital unit with three beds

History of Forced Sterilization in the United States

History of Forced Sterilization in the United States When we think of the term “genocide,” we think of Hitler and his 1930s-1940s eugenics campaign, but the part that is not taught in schools is that Hitler was inspired by none other than the practice of forced sterilization in the United States.  What Are Eugenics? The term “eugenics”…

black and white photo of an old graveyard
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The Tuskegee Syphilis Study

Tuskegee Syphilis Study The Tuskegee Syphilis Study was started in 1932 at the Tuskegee Institute in Macon, Alabama. Sponsored by the U.S. Public Health Service, the subjects were mostly undereducated sharecroppers who were enticed to join the program by benefits like hot food and complimentary visits to a healthcare clinic. Out of around 600 participants, the control group of syphilis-free…

a syringe filled with fluid is seen against a dark backround
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Onesimus

The Man Who Taught America About Inoculation In 1706, Boston Massachusetts Puritan preacher Cotton Mather was given a human as a “gift” from his church congregation. Mather renamed him Onesimus, a Greek word for “useful.”  In 1716, Onesimus purchased half of his freedom after being permitted to work for wages outside the home, but was still required to…