Roger Williams was an English theologian and founder of the colony of Rhode Island. He was a staunch advocate for religious freedom and separation of church and state. Williams believed in the rights of Native Americans and established fair treaties with them. His ideas greatly influenced the development of American democracy and religious liberty.

The Black Panthers were a revolutionary black nationalist organization founded in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. They aimed to protect African Americans from police brutality and promote self-defense. The group also provided social programs such as free breakfast for children and healthcare clinics. The Black Panthers were known for their iconic black berets and armed patrols, but they faced intense government surveillance and repression.

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, who were running for the United States Senate seat in Illinois. These debates focused on the issue of slavery and its expansion into new territories. The debates attracted large crowds and helped to elevate Lincoln’s national profile, ultimately paving the way for his presidency in 1860.

Senator Charles Sumner was violently assaulted by Representative Preston Brooks in 1856. Sumner, an abolitionist, had delivered a speech criticizing pro-slavery forces. Brooks, a pro-slavery advocate, retaliated by brutally beating Sumner with a cane on the Senate floor. This incident further heightened tensions between the North and South, and became a symbol of the growing divide over the issue of slavery in the United States.

John Hancock, born in 1737 Massachusetts, inherited a fortune and became one of New England’s richest men. As a Boston selectman, he opposed British taxes and participated in revolutionary activities, including the Boston Tea Party. He narrowly escaped arrest after Paul Revere’s ride. Elected president of the Continental Congress in 1775, he famously signed the Declaration of Independence.

On March 3, 1865, the night before Lincoln’s second inauguration, Washington was chaotic with visitors. Vice President-elect Andrew Johnson, heavily drunk, made a notoriously inebriated speech in the Senate, causing dismay. Following Lincoln’s assassination on April 14, 1865, just after the war’s end, Johnson assumed the presidency under challenging circumstances.

Sharecropping in the American South was a system of agricultural labor that emerged after the Civil War. Under this system, landowners would provide land, tools, and supplies to farmers, who would then work the land and give a portion of their crops as rent. However, sharecroppers often faced exploitation and poverty, as they were trapped in a cycle of debt and dependence on the landowners. This system perpetuated racial and economic inequality in the region.