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The first Black Army nurse, Susie King Taylor served for the Union during the Civil War, tending to an all-Black Army regiment. Like many African American nurses during the war, Taylor was never compensated for her work. She worked as a laundress and…

During the Civil War, Cathay Williams lived enslaved at a plantation near Jefferson City, Missouri. The Union Army camp occupied the city in 1861, captured Cathay and other enslaved people and forced them as “contraband” to serve in support roles.…

Harriet Tubman seized her freedom from enslavement in Maryland in 1849. As a child, Tubman suffered physical abuse from her enslavers, including a severe head injury which caused lifelong health issues. Overhearing her enslaver discussing “selling…