The presentation talks about the fort built in Cairo at the beginning o the Civil War at the junction of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. General Grant launched attacks from his base in Cairo down the Mississippi River; a “Contraband Camp” in Cairo was set up for formerly enslaved who fled the South. There was an increase in the number of Black people in Cairo after the war and a lynching in 1909. Over time, racism was a major reason for the decline in the population and the death of the town.
An Encore! program from the Spring 2025 seminar Huckleberry Finn and James presented by Diane Liebert.