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Sculptor Edmonia Lewis Displays Work in Boston

November 11, 1864
November 11, 1864

Sculptor Edmonia Lewis Displays Work in Boston

On this day in 1864, sculptor Edmonia Lewis exhibited two of her early pieces at the Colored Soldiers' Fair in Boston. The daughter of a Native American woman and a black man, Lewis was the...

Whaleship Essex Sinks

November 20, 1820
November 20, 1820

Whaleship Essex Sinks

On this day in 1820, an enormous sperm whale rammed and sank the Nantucket whaleship Essex in the heart of the Pacific Ocean. The first mate described the 85-foot whale's unprovoked attack as enraged and...

African Meeting House Opens

December 4, 1806
December 4, 1806

African Meeting House Opens

On this day in 1806, the Reverend Thomas Paul was installed as pastor of the new African Meeting House in Boston. Two days later, the church was officially dedicated. The Meeting House served as a...

Paul Cuffe Sails for Sierra Leone

December 10, 1815
December 10, 1815

Paul Cuffe Sails for Sierra Leone

On this day in 1815, Paul Cuffe of Westport sailed for the west coast of Africa with 38 black emigrants and a cargo of goods on board his vessel. The goal was for the families...

Boston Abolitionists Await Emancipation Proclamation

December 31, 1862
December 31, 1862

Boston Abolitionists Await Emancipation Proclamation

On this day, New Year's Eve 1862, William Lloyd Garrison, publisher of the abolitionist paper The Liberator, delayed printing the latest edition as he waited for news from Washington. At midnight, his son and daughter...

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