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First Black West Point Cadet Scored Victory Over Prejudice
Henry Ossian Flipper, born 1856 in Georgia, became the first African American graduate of West Point in 1877. The piece traces his life from slave origins through academy isolation, Army service, court martial, and later work as a civil engineer and government agent, ending with his death in 1940 and enduring legacy amid racial barriers. Weaves in contemporary editorials and historical assessments of his trial and career.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
West Point
Henry Ossian Flipper
Georgia
Thomasville
Thomas County
Isabella
Reuben H. Lucky
Festus Flipper
Ephraim G. Ponder
Festus Fhpper
Ponder
Atlanta
Flipper
Ponders
Young Flipper
Military Academy
United States Military Academy
Congress of the United States
Savanah, Ga
Morning News
Calvary
Southwest
Tenth Cavalry
Henry O. Flipper
Fort Davis
Texas
William R. Shafter
Mexico
Leutenant
U.S. Justice Department
Greene
Albert B. Fall
Chihuahua
el Paso
Fall
U.S
New Mexico
Washington
Joseph S. Flipper
African Methodist Episcopal Church