The Missouri Gang

By David Henschel

Book Overview

In my first historical novel, Narratives from Professor Robert Aaron Whitney , published in 2018, I explored the lives of three interconnected Black families--beginning with their capture in Africa, through pivotal moments in American history, and into the future, where Professor Whitney ultimately receives the Nobel Prize for Medicine. Now, in The Missouri Gang , my second historical novel, I examine America's political struggles and achievements, spanning from the arrival of the first enslaved people in 1619 through key historical eras--the Colonial period, Revolution, Early Republic, Antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction. The narrative unfolds through the perspectives of Paul Brooks and Carlos Armfield, two professors leading a distinctive five-year dual-teaching program at Northern Virginia Community College's Alexandria Campus (NOVA), offering a compelling exploration of history's lasting impact. But they must face their ancestors' demons. Not just as Virginia slave owners, but as ruthless slave traders. Moving west, they became key figures among Missouri's violent Border Ruffians and pro-slavery Kansas Territory settlers during America's brutal Bleeding Kansas era, as the territory fought for statehood. Early in the five-year program, Professor Armfield secures the 8th Virginia Congressional District seat with NOVA Board support. While he and Professor Brooks openly examine their ancestors' involvement in America's racial conflicts, they conceal a darker truth--recent relatives' ties to the KKK and their role in the only coup d'état in U.S. history, when violent anti-Black politicians overthrew Wilmington, North Carolina's legitimate government in 1898. When this hidden past comes to light, 'Congressman' Carlos Armfield's career collapses as a decisive majority elects his Democratic opponent.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0F5WR27QK
• ISBN13: 9798280850859
• Release Date: April 2025
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 398 Pages
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.9" x 6.0"