Born in King George County, Virginia, Isaac Williams (better known as Uncle Ike) stayed on the plantation with the widow of his father's master. She lost the pl

This firsthand account offers a unique perspective on the experiences of slaves in the antebellum South, from the mundane routines of daily life to the trauma o

Isaac D. Williams (1821-1898) was a slave who struggled to find his way from slavery to freedom, later he became a successful businessman and entrepreneur. "In

In the second half of the nineteenth century, American cities began to go dark. Hulking new buildings overspread blocks, pollution obscured the skies, and glass