The Civil War: 150 Years. National Park Service Sesquicentennial Commemoration.

Then: September 17, 1861

Educating Escaped Slaves

Mary S. Peake begins to educate "contrabands" (escaped slaves) under a large oak tree near the Union's Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia.

Now: September 16, 1999

Bill and Melinda Gates donate $1 billion to create the Millennium Scholarship Fund to help minorities who have limited educational opportunities.