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1. Newton Knight’s Fight To Protect Black People Did Not End With The Civil War
Newton Knight’s passion for helping and protecting black people did not end when the Civil War ended. In fact, he only grew more passionate to do what he could to help the community. Newton quickly went to work to get involved in the Reconstruction when he joined the Federal Army and started to hand out food and supplies to the residents of Jones County. He took his role a step further when he found out there were African American children who were still being treated as slaves. Newton quickly acted to free these children from the farmer.
As a Deputy United States Marshal of his area, Newton took it upon himself to commission an all-black regiment in 1875. He also became a common law husband to an ex-slave named Rachel, and together they began to raise a family. Unfortunately, it did not take long for the south become full of a group known as the Ku Klux Klan, and soon the black community and people like Newton Knight were fearing for their lives. To keep his family safe, Newton officially moved into the 160-acre home he had given to Rachel. Of course, opening living with Rachel highly dangerous for Newton. Of this action, Newton said, “There’s a lots of ways I’d ruther die than be scared to death.”
Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“Twenty-Slave Law.” Susanna Michele Lee, Encyclopedia Virginia. March 2009.
“Confederate Draft During the Civil War.” WTV Zone.
“Five Myths About Why the South Seceded.” James W. Loewen, The Washington Post. February 2011.
“The True Story of the ‘Free State of Jones'” Richard Grant, Smithsonian Mag. March 2016.