Henry Adams

Adams was born a slave in rural Georgia in 1843. He and his family would later move to Northwest Louisiana, where they would stay until emancipation in 1865. He joined the Army in 1866. He served in three units and was promoted to the level of quartermaster-sergeant. During this time, he learned how to read and write.

Adams was among a group of former soldiers who formed a secret committee to look into the condition of blacks in the South. He helped freed people negotiate contracts with employers and settle accounts. When the White League began in 1874, Adams and others organized a Colonization Council, believing that it was impossible for blacks to live among whites. They petitioned President Grant to send them to Liberia if another suitable place could not be found. They formed the Negro Union Cooperative Aid Association. He worked with individuals and groups who wished to emigrate...