40 Acres and a Lie
40 Acres
and a
Lie
It’s often thought of as a promise that was never kept. But “40 acres and a mule” was more than that. It was real. This three-part series from Reveal and the Center for Public Integrity tells the history of an often-misunderstood government program that gave more than 1,200 formerly enslaved people land titles, only to take the land back, fueling a wealth gap that remains today.
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Listen to the trailer:
40 Acres and a Lie Part 1
After Jim Hutchinson was freed from slavery in 1865, the federal government gave him a land title: 40 acres on Edisto Island, South Carolina. Soon after, that land was taken back.Through his descendants and the descendants of a former slaveholder, we reveal the truth about “40 acres and a mule.”
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40 Acres and a Lie Part 2
Credit: Illustration by Chris Burnett
In 1865, Skidaway Island, Georgia, was becoming a Black utopia. Former cotton plantations gave way to a self-governing Black community. That is, until the federal government revoked 40 acres for tens of thousands of formerly enslaved people and returned the land to former slaveholders. Today, much of Skidaway Island belongs to The Landings, a wealthy, mostly White gated community.
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40 Acres and a Lie Part 3
Forty acres and a mule has come to represent an unpaid debt, and it’s served as a rallying cry for generations of Black citizens demanding reparations. The final episode in this series explores how the debate around reparations has moved from the fringes to the mainstream, as a rising number of states, cities and even one county in the South are actively exploring making amends.
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Freedmen search
Click the button below to search Freedmen’s Bureau records by keyword, person, or location:
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Freedmen who received land titles
The Center for Public Integrity identified 1,250 men and women who received land titles under Sherman’s Field Orders, No. 15. Below are their names along with additional information from reporters’ research. Search for information in any column or browse the table.
Read more:
40 Acres and a Lie
We compiled Reconstruction-era documents to identify 1,250 formerly enslaved Black Americans given land – only to have it returned to their enslavers.
Blood Bound
On Edisto Island, Black and white descendants of a prominent plantation owner struggle to make sense of a legal definition that changed the course of their lives.
What We Are Owed
Technology and geneology have made the case for reparations specific – and undeniable, Wesley Lowery argues.
Paradise Stolen
Black families were cheated out of their land on Skidaway Island. Now it’s a wealthy white enclave
Shocking Discovery
“We don’t plan on the white man for nothing.”
How We Reported This Story
An inside look at how a team of CPI reporters uncovered the true story of America’s broken promise of reparations for slavery.
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40 Acres and a Lie is a story from Reveal. Reveal is a registered trademark of The Center for Investigative Reporting and is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.
