I do not believe that I ever seen more runaway slave notices in one place than I found in a New Bern, N.C., newspaper published on August 1, 1818. In that single issue, slaveholders announced bounties for the capture and return, usually alive, but in one case dead or alive, of 11 men, 4 women, and 2 children who had escaped and were in hiding somewhere on the North Carolina coast.
Month: March 2026
Reflections on Teaching the History of the White Supremacy Movement of 1898-1900
A few weeks ago, I gave a lecture at Duke Law School on the history of the white supremacy movement of 1898-1900 and how it shaped our political system, our society, and our legal system here in North Carolina. I always have to brace myself a bit to give that lecture: it is grim tale but it is also, by almost any measure, the most important event in North Carolina's history over the last 150 years.
David Cecelski 