slavery

“P” is for Pinckney, Henry Laurens (1794-1863). Legislator, congressman, editor.

“P” is for Pinckney, Henry Laurens (1794-1863). Legislator, congressman, editor.

“P” is for Pinckney, Henry Laurens (1794-1863). Legislator, congressman, editor.

“P” is for Pinckney, Henry Laurens (1794-1863). Legislator, congressman, editor.

On this special summer series episode of the South Carolina Lede for July 09, 2024: a look at a new limited podcast series called “40 Acres and a Lie,” a three-part series from Reveal and the Center for Public Integrity, that tells the history of an often-misunderstood government program that gave more than 1,200 formerly enslaved people land titles, only to take the land back, fueling a wealth gap that remains today.

Margaret Seidler thought she knew her family’s history. Then, a genealogical search on-line led her to connect with a cousin who, unlike Margaret, was Black. Determined to find as much as she could about her lineage, Margaret soon came face to face with more than just an expanded family tree. And what she found led her to devote years to historical research and many difficult conversations about the centrality of the institution of slavery in Charleston, and the part some of her ancestors played in helping it flourish. This week we talk with Margaret Seidler about how this journey into history challenged her and about her new book, Payne-ful Business: Charleston’s Journey to Truth (2024, Evening Post Books).In the book, Seidler has written about the realities of Charleston’s racial history while highlighting the historians, journalists, and community members who work to reconcile those truths. And the enslaved individuals whom she found advertised for sale in ante bellum newspapers are brought to vivid life by artist John W. Jones. He truly uncovers the humanity hidden beneath those detached advertisements.

This week we're talking with Joseph McGill and Herb Frazier, authors of Sleeping with the Ancestors: How I Followed the Footprints of Slavery (2023, Hachette).Since founding the Slave Dwelling Project in 2010, Joseph McGill has been spending the night in slave dwellings throughout the South, but also the in North and in the West, where people are often surprised to learn that such structures exist. Events and gatherings arranged around these overnight stays have provided a unique way to understand the complex history of slavery. McGill and Frazier talk with us about how the project got started and about the sometimes obscured or ignored aspects of the history in the United States.

“M” is for McCord, Louisa Susanna Cheves (1810-1879). Essayist, poet. McCord’s essays were well received and praised by her male contemporaries and were reflective of the dominant opinions of South Carolina’s elite in the decades prior to the Civil War.

“M” is for McCord, Louisa Susanna Cheves (1810-1879). Essayist, poet. McCord’s essays were well received and praised by her male contemporaries and were reflective of the dominant opinions of South Carolina’s elite in the decades prior to the Civil War.

Saint Helena Island's decades old zoning law banning golf carts, gated communities and resorts is still being challenged. The law is meant to protect the island's Gullah Geechee people.