‘Out of This Strife’ author argues free people of color played a major role in Civil War

Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins · Jun 16, 2026

The Civil War was the deadliest conflict in American history. Yet more than 160 years later, its legacy is still being written, and one historian argues a key part of that legacy involves free people of color. At the beginning of the war, nearly half a million people of color were free, and he says their stories ultimately helped lay the groundwork for a more expansive vision of American freedom.