Today In Black History: The History of 40 Acres and a Mule
Yet another broken promise by the U.S. Government
Issue #810 Today In Black History, Wednesday, February 19, 2025
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During the Super Bowl LIX halftime show on February 9, 2025, Pulitzer Prize and Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar mentioned “40 Acres and a Mule” during one of his songs. I later found out that many people did not know the history of that phrase.
The phrase "40 acres and a mule" originated from Special Field Order No. 15, issued on January 16, 1865, by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman during the American Civil War. As the war drew towards its conclusion, Sherman enacted the order to redistribute roughly 400,000 acres of confiscated Confederate land along the Atlantic coast to newly freed Black families in parcels of 40 acres each. This initiative was intended to address the immediate needs of liberated slaves and lay the groundwork for their economic independence.
Although the order did not explicitly promise mules, the federal government later made surplus mules available to some Black settlers.
As with almost all of the treaties the U.S. government made with the indigenous nations and various groups of former enslaved Black people, the promise of land redistribution was short-lived. Following President Abraham Lincoln's assassination in April 1865, his successor, Andrew Johnson, overturned Sherman's order.
Johnson's leniency towards former Confederates allowed them to reclaim their land, effectively nullifying the promise made to freed Black families. This critical reversal underscored the systemic barriers to Black economic empowerment and equity in post-Civil War America.
Over time, "40 Acres and a Mule" grew to symbolize not only this specific broken promise but also the broader failures of Reconstruction and ongoing racial inequities.
It became a rallying cry for civil rights activists demanding reparations and redress for historical wrongs inflicted upon African Americans.
Even today, when. Black people ask for reparations or other compensation for centuries of unpaid labor and ongoing discrimination; the phrase “40 Acres and a Mule” is used as a reminder of what is owed and has never been paid.
Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest in reparations, including legislative proposals and local initiatives to address historical injustices. The idea of reparations encompasses financial restitution and institutional reforms and investments in Black communities to rectify centuries of systemic disadvantage.
Today In Black History
In 1919, the Pan African Congress met at the Grand Hotel in Paris with 57 delegates from 30 countries. Blaise Diange of Senegal was named president, and Dr. W.E.B. DuBois was named secretary. The main topic was the treatment of Black soldiers returning from fighting in World War I.
In 1942, the Army Air Corps All-African-American 100th Pursuit Squadron, which was later designated a fighter squadron, was activated at Tuskegee Institute. The Tuskegee Airmen served honorably in Europe during World War II and never lost a plane.
In 1959, the African country of Gabon adopted its constitution.
In 1992, John Singleton became the first African American film director to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director and Best Screenplay for his film ”Boyz N the Hood.”
In 2002, Vonetta Flowers became the first African American Gold Medalist in the history of the Winter Olympic Games, winning the inaugural women’s two-person bobsled event.
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