Podcast: The Story Behind "40 Acres And A Mule," Duration: 3:43

Forty Acres and a Mule

Podcast: The Story Behind "40 Acres And A Mule," Duration: 3:43

01/12/2015

Podcast

NPR features a podcast in which reporter Sarah McCammon discusses the origins, development, and eventual reversal of "Forty Acres and a Mule," which was part of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman’s Special Field Order No. 15 that was issued on January 16, 1865, to allot land and leftover Army mules to some formerly enslaved African American families. The podcast includes commentary from Susan Arden-Joly, a preservationist and tour guide at Green-Meldrim House where Sherman and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton met with local Black leaders; Charles Elmore, a professor emeritus of humanities at Savannah State University; Stan Deaton, who serves as the Senior Historian of the Georgia Historical Society; and Vaughnette Goode-Walker, a writer who leads tours focused on Black history in Savannah. 

View Source Here

National Public Radio (NPR)

Rights Statement: Project Reconstruction curates links to primary and secondary sources from a wide variety of digital newspapers, museums, libraries, universities, historical societies and other governmental and nongovernmental websites. Use of said content is solely at your own risk. Consult each source’s original publisher for all rights and terms of use associated with their content.

Insensitive Language/Images: Some sources may include insensitive language or images that were created just before, during or after the Reconstruction Era. We try our best to include advisory “notes” in the description section of each source to inform site visitors about potentially insensitive material.

Fairness & Accuracy Statement: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that seems inaccurate or doesn't look right, please contact us.