Foreign Investors
The 1980s witnessed considerable legislative and political struggle to protect Nebraska farmersfrom corporate and foreign investors. In 1889, the verdant farmlands of ...
Slavery
What We Found
Was J. Sterling Morton a racist? Here’s what the Arbor Day founder said and did.
By David L. Bristow, Editor, Nebraska History
(Originally posted March 29, 2019)
On one level this is an easy question. Yes. Blatantly. In a loud and ...
Nebraskan Perspectives on Slavery After The Civil War
At the brink of the Civil War, Nebraska Territory abolished slavery in 1861. As the war proceeded, many Nebraska soldiers fought for the Union while those at home kept ...
Fighting Words in Nebraska Territory
The motto on the Nebraska Territorial Seal, "Popular Sovereignty," was seen as a euphemism for the expansion of slavery.
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A Nebraskan responds to the abolition of slavery
An 1866 letter shows us something that’s often forgotten when people talk about civil rights history. D.H. Kelsey of Plattsmouth was living in Washington, DC, when ...
Nebraska Statehood Launched in Troubled Times
On March 1, 1867, President Andrew Johnson reluctantly signed the proclamation declaring Nebraska’s statehood. The signing ended the life of a territory which ...
Journey to Freedom – Celia and Eliza Grayson’s escape from Nebraska slavery
Editor's note: Below is the first part of "Journey to Freedom from Nebraska Territory," from the Summer 2022 issue of Nebraska History Magazine. Read the complete ...
Robert Ball Anderson’s journey “from slavery to affluence”
Born in slavery, Robert Ball Anderson became a prosperous rancher in Box Butte County, Nebraska.
How Eliza Grayson escaped Nebraska slavery
By David L. Bristow, Editor
Eliza Grayson was one of the very first enslaved people brought to Nebraska when the territory opened to white settlers in 1854. ...
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