Forty Acres and a Mule

By: Quiet. Please
Listen for free

  • Summary

  • This explores the historical significance of the "Forty Acres and a Mule" promise made to formerly enslaved African Americans at the end of the Civil War. It details how Union General William T. Sherman's Special Field Order No. 15 in January 1865 set aside 400,000 acres of confiscated Confederate land along the Atlantic coast for distribution to freed families. The article examines the immediate impact of this order, which settled approximately 40,000 formerly enslaved people on their own land, and discusses how these communities quickly established farms, schools, churches, and governance structures. It also explores the profound psychological and economic significance of land ownership for people who had been enslaved, and how this brief period of possibility demonstrated the potential for African American economic independence when given access to resources. The piece concludes by acknowledging how this promise, though ultimately unfulfilled, continues to influence discussions about racial justice and economic equality in America.
    2024 Quiet. Please
    Show more Show less
Politics & Government Social Sciences World
Show more Show less
Episodes
  • The Origins of the Promise

    The Origins of the Promise
    Feb 11 2025
    This explores the historical significance of the "Forty Acres and a Mule" promise made to formerly enslaved African Americans at the end of the Civil War. It details how Union General William T. Sherman's Special Field Order No. 15 in January 1865 set aside 400,000 acres of confiscated Confederate land along the Atlantic coast for distribution to freed families. The article examines the immediate impact of this order, which settled approximately 40,000 formerly enslaved people on their own land, and discusses how these communities quickly established farms, schools, churches, and governance structures. It also explores the profound psychological and economic significance of land ownership for people who had been enslaved, and how this brief period of possibility demonstrated the potential for African American economic independence when given access to resources. The piece concludes by acknowledging how this promise, though ultimately unfulfilled, continues to influence discussions about racial justice and economic equality in America.
    Show more Show less
    23 mins

What listeners say about Forty Acres and a Mule

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.com reviews

Amazon reviews
No Reviews are Available