slave revolt leaderBorn: c. 1775Birthplace: Henrico County, Virginia An educated slave, Prosser worked as a blacksmith. Inspired by the successful Haitian slave revolt, Prosser planned an…
(Encyclopedia) Vesey, Denmark, 1767?–1822, African-American leader. After many years as a slave he won (1800) $1,500 in a lottery and purchased his freedom. Intelligent and energetic, he acquired…
industrialist, philanthropistBorn: 7/8/1839Birthplace: Richford, N.Y. An American business icon, Rockefeller made his first business transaction at age 12. His parents had taught him to save his…
(Encyclopedia) Seward, William Henry, 1801–72, American statesman, b. Florida, Orange co., N.Y.
In 1861, Seward became Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln, and many expected him to be the…
The Amistad The Spanish schooner and its slaves who fueled proslavery ire by Ricco Villanueva Siasoco Steven Spielberg popularized the story of the Spanish slave ship Amistad in his…
(Encyclopedia) Napoleon, Louis, 1800–1881, African American abolitionist. He lived in a community of free blacks in Staten Island, N.Y., working as a porter and furniture polisher while secretly…
(Encyclopedia) Vian, BorisVian, Borisbôrēsˈ vyäN [key], 1920–59, French novelist. He patterned his literary style on that of terse American crime fiction. His best-known work is J'irai cracher sur…
Navassa Island Isle of pristine peauty and the Guano Act of 1856 Where Is It? Columbus managed to find Navassa in 1507, yet today the island remains virtually invisible to the tourists…