Introduction
The signing of the Homestead Act in 1862 by President Lincoln brought over 4 million settlers to the American West. Their stories have been the subject of paintings, major motion pictures, and literature. Black settlers, often known as Exodusters, also heeded the call, yet their stories are not as widely known. This lesson illuminates their story by exploring the history of the town of Nicodemus, Kansas.
An artist's representation in black and white shows a crowd of Black families, dressed well and appearing content. They are walking and riding in covered horse-drawn wagons down a crowded street of a late Eighteen hundreds western town. Along each side of the street are mostly white adults and children and a few Black adults in fine clothing watch the newcomers. The background shows a row of buildings with shops on the bottom floor and apartments on the top floors. An industrial area with smoking chimneys appears in the back right.
