Keywords: Black Americans
Item 100052
John O. Crummett letter about Black soldiers, war, Kentucky, 1863
Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1863 Location: China Media: Ink on paper
Item 29285
Cpl. Herbert Windom, North Yarmouth, 1942
Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1942 Location: North Yarmouth Media: Photographic print
Exhibit
A Convenient Soldier: The Black Guards of Maine
The Black Guards were African American Army soldiers, members of the segregated Second Battalion of the 366th Infantry sent to guard the railways of Maine during World War II, from 1941 to 1945. The purpose of the Black Guards' deployment to Maine was to prevent terrorist attacks along the railways, and to keep Maine citizens safe during the war.
Exhibit
These stories -- that stretch from 1999 back to 1759 -- take you from an amusement park to the halls of Congress. There are inventors, artists, showmen, a railway agent, a man whose civic endeavors helped shape Portland, a man devoted to the pursuit of peace and one known for his military exploits, Maine's first novelist, a woman who recorded everyday life in detail, and an Indian who survived a British attack.
Site Page
"Knopf, New York. Terkel, Studs, Race: How Black & Whites Think & Feel About the American Obsession, 1992, The New Press, New York."
Site Page
Malaga Island: a story best left untold - Maine State documents and Proclamations
"It’s a time when blacks and whites weren’t supposed to be living together in the same household. The races, even in the north that was supposedly so…"
Story
Black Is Beautiful
by Judi Jones
Gut-wrenching fear
Story
Where are the French?
by Rhea Côté Robbins
Franco-Americans in Maine
Lesson Plan
Black History and the History of Slavery in Maine
Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12, Postsecondary
Content Area: Social Studies
This lesson presents an overview of the history of the Black community in Maine and the U.S., including Black people who were enslaved in Maine, Maine’s connections to slavery and the slave trade, a look into the racism and discrimination many Black people in Maine have experienced, and highlights selected histories of Black people, demonstrating the longevity of their experiences and contributions to the community and culture in Maine.
