Hey friends welcome. Today we are going to discuss the Union. And it might surprise you

that spies and spy balloons, classified documents and racially motivated riots aren't just the

headlines of today, but were in fact hallmarks of the American Civil War. Many of us were

taught in school that the South and not just Texas wanted to succeed and preserve their quote-unquote

traditional way of life while the North championed the freedom of the enslaved people. But that's not

quite the whole story. I'm Sharon McMahon. Here's where it gets interesting. On Christmas day in

1850, in a three-story home in Richmond, Virginia, a mother and daughter sat down to a festive dinner.

They were all black because they were in mourning after the death of the late Mr. Van Lue.

The widowed Mrs. Eliza Van Lue when her daughter Elizabeth sat while the people they enslaved

stood around the table eagerly waiting to be dismissed to have a holiday celebration of their own.

It was common for enslaved families, including the ones in the Van Lue home to be split apart,

hired out or sold to others. The patriarch of one enslaved family there had been sold to another

household years ago, but he'd been given an invitation and permission to visit his wife and

daughter for Christmas. Elizabeth Van Lue asked the nine enslaved people in the house to join her

and her mother at the table, though they were likely anxious. They sat and a few moments later.

Elizabeth stunned them with a surprise announcement. All the enslaved people of our household

are now free. There may have been a slight legal catch because her father's will had stipulated

that none of the enslaved in the household should be freed, but the widowed Eliza and the

determined Elizabeth were now running the household because they felt differently than the late John

Van Lue. Elizabeth presented them with a potential plan. They were welcome to stay in the home and

work for her while building a nest egg to eventually support themselves. She would pay them all

of fair wage and when they felt they were ready, they were free to leave and work wherever they chose.

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