Securing the Promises of the Declaration of Independence in Promise Land, Tennessee

What did freedom mean to African Americans in Middle Tennessee after the Civil War? In this Fall 2026 Buchanan Lecture, historian Dr. Learotha Williams Jr. and Promise Land Heritage Association historian Serina K. Gilbert explore the history of Promise Land, a rural African American community in Dickson County, Tennessee, established shortly after the Civil War by formerly enslaved people and members of the U.S. Colored Troops. Drawing on archival records, family histories, and firsthand memories, Williams and Gilbert examine how residents of Promise Land built lives centered on land ownership, education, faith, family, and community. Gilbert shares stories passed down by her mother, who lived to be 101, as well as her own memories of growing up in Promise Land and attending its historic school. The lecture explores Reconstruction and the transition from slavery to freedom, the challenges of Jim Crow, and the ways African Americans created spaces where they could exercise independence and preserve their dignity. The speakers also consider how schools, churches, and other community institutions can serve as monuments to the values and aspirations of people whose stories have often been overlooked in traditional historical narratives. The lecture also examines the importance of public memory: Who decides which stories are remembered, which places receive historical markers, and which experiences become part of the history we teach? Part of the MTSU Honors College Buchanan Lecture Series, Fall 2026. Learn more about the MTSU Honors College: https://honors.mtsu.edu/