The presentation talks about the fort built in Cairo at the beginning of 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 and presented by Diane Liebert.