The Colored Cadet at West Point by Henry Ossian Flipper

Jan 01 2025 21 ep. 30 mins 231
The Colored Cadet at West Point by Henry Ossian Flipper Podcast artwork

Henry Ossian Flipper--born into slavery in Thomasville, Georgia on March 21, 1856--did not learn to read and write until just before the end of the Civil War. Once the war had ended, Flipper attended several schools showing a great aptitude for knowledge. During his freshman year at Atlanta University he applied for admittance to the United States National Military Academy at West Point. He was appointed to the academy in 1873 along with a fellow African American, John W. Williams. Cadet Williams was later dismissed for academic deficiencies.