Life of Peter Peterson and his Son Everett: A Brief Biography of Both Men and a Discussion of Differing Levels of Racism Between Generations

Abstract

Everett "Peter" Peterson I was a young slave living in the south during the time of the Civil War. He was taken in by a Lieutenant who was traveling with General William T. Sherman during his famous march. Peter was brought back to Shawano County, Wisconsin and raised in the area with very few other African-Americans. He was married to a white woman from Leopolis, Wisconsin and started a family. One of his son's, Everett, also married a white woman from Navarino, Wisconsin. Both of these men lived in an area with few African-Americans but as a result of progressivism and changing attitudes in Wisconsin. Everett, however, encountered much more racism and opposition to his life choices on account of his race than his father did.