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The Case:
A Civil War enthusiast owns a striking vintage photograph that depicts about 20 older white men in full dress uniform, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with two black men.
In Reconstructionist-era America, association between blacks and whites was frequently taboo. So what brought them together for this portrait?
Their bond, it turns out, was the Grand Army of the Republic, a remarkable fraternal order organized for war veterans. In fact, integration was actually a GAR standard. The reason? The men had in common an affliction that transcended race – a struggle with post traumatic stress.
History Detectives investigates the first national social group to challenge the color barrier.
Season 5, Episode 3
Season 6, Episode 6
Detective:
Elyse Luray
Location:Cazenovia, NY and Washington D.C.
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- Latest CommentI have a Pearl Harbor story. It involves a bracelet that was fashioned from the dial labels of one of the kamikaze fighter jets. The dashboard was pulled out before the plane went up in flames after it had crashed. The bracelet was given to my grandmother, (21 hours ago)
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