A daguerreotype of former slave Caesar taken in 1851 in Bethlehem, New York

<p><strong><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__johnaeharris.com_&amp;d=DwMF-g&amp;c=bHpC9irXhivtSwyVyKc43lLt4-cAwmmH7TeQLPqTb5E&amp;r=3mOEa7BL5xda2RV6aIvf7QcX9yQ1ErhlAnSOFRweDaY&amp;m=wVtfNDrR3rV_jNENlaoAdnBx4TCpCS6R7tDskwAcNBI&amp;s=AOTibKxkk5SlrZAJQmJWJNEmCIMrpuiKcR0NrgGU-tg&amp;e=">John Harris</a> is McDonald-Boswell Chair in History at Erskine College and the author of <em><a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300261493/the-last-slave-ships/">The Last Slave Ships: New York and the End of the Middle Passage</a></em>. Follow him on Twitter: @drjohnaeharris.</strong></p>


John Harris

John Harris is McDonald-Boswell Chair in History at Erskine College and the author of The Last Slave Ships: New York and the End of the Middle Passage. Follow him on Twitter: @drjohnaeharris.

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HISTORY

<p>Slavery was widely practiced throughout the ancient world, and in the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries, which helped propel the United States into the Civil War.</p>


Slavery

<p>The Civil War was America's bloodiest and most divisive conflict, pitting the Union Army against the Confederate States of America. The war resulted in the deaths of more than 620,000 people, with millions more injured and the South left in ruins.</p>


Civil War

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">African Americans have played a central role in shaping U.S. history. From slavery and its abolition to the Great Migration, the civil rights movement and military, scientific, cultural and political achievements, explore key moments, milestones and figures in Black History.</div>
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John Harris

Stories

9 Facts About the Transatlantic Slave Trade

The Atlantic Slave Trade Continued Illegally in America Until the Civil War