Until Justice be Done: America’s First Civil Rights Movement

In this episode, from our series on Teach the Black Freedom Struggle, our host, Jessica Rucker, a high school teacher, speaks to Teach Reconstruction campaign advisor and Northwestern University history professor Kate Masur about her book, Until Justice be Done: America’s First Civil Rights Movement, From the Revolution to Reconstruction.

Professor Masur goes into detail about the nation’s first push for civil rights in the 19th century, specifically in the Northern states from African Americans and their white allies. This activism in the 1850s dovetailed with the rise of the new Republican Party. The Northwestern professor also discusses the violence launched by white reactionaries, attempting to defeat Black advances. Read about the event and find related resources.