Black Moses

A Saga of Ambition and the Fight for a Black State

De: Caleb Gayle

Narrado por: Leon Nixon

Longlisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction

A New York Times Editors' Choice Pick

“Powerful… [and] fascinating.”—The Washington Post

The remarkable story of Edward McCabe, a Black man who tried to establish a Black state within the United States.

In this paradigm-shattering work of American history, Caleb Gayle recounts the extraordinary tale of Edward McCabe, a Black man who championed the audacious idea to create a state within the Union governed by and for Black people—and the racism, politics, and greed that thwarted him.

As the sweeping changes and brief glimpses of hope brought by the Civil War and Reconstruction began to wither, anger at the opportunities available to newly freed Black people were on the rise. As a result, both Blacks and whites searched for new places to settle. That was when Edward McCabe, a Black businessman and a rising political star in the American West, set in motion his plans to found a state within the Union for Black people to live in and govern. His chosen site: Oklahoma, a place that the U.S. government had deeded to Indigenous people in the 1830s when it forced thousands of them to leave their homes under Indian Removal, which became known as the Trail of Tears.

McCabe lobbied politicians in Washington, D.C., Kansas, and elsewhere as he exhorted Black people to move to Oklahoma to achieve their dreams of self-determination and land ownership. His rising profile as a leader and spokesman for Black people as well as his willingness to confront white politicians led him to become known as Black Moses. And like his biblical counterpart, McCabe nearly made it to the promised land but was ultimately foiled by politics, business interests, and the growing ambitions of white settlers who also wanted the land.

In Black Moses, Gayle brings to vivid life the world of Edward McCabe: the Black people who believed in his dream of a Black state, the white politicians who didn't, and the larger challenges of confronting the racism and exclusion that bedeviled Black people's attempts to carve a place in America for themselves. Gayle draws from extraordinary research and reporting to reveal an America that almost was.

©2025 Caleb Gayle (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Timely.... [written] with great empathy.... [this] compelling study of McCabe’s quixotic crusade for Black self-determination richly illustrates just how tenuous the promise of freedom remained.”—The New York Times

“[E]loquent .... Gayle does more than just rescue a forgotten yet crucial figure; he places McCabe at the center of radical liberation … As our nation continues to fracture into partisan camps, Gayle tells an engrossing tale, revealing that the tensions remain the same."—Minneapolis Star Tribune

“It’s a rare and satisfying experience to find a nonfiction book that balances the scope of its content with narrative coherence, without sacrificing either. Gayle’s latest carves a historical epic out of a forgotten episode in the Black separatist movement, enthralling as both a character study and a novel look at America’s racial history.”—The Millions

Filling In the Blanks

The kind of history rarely taught in American schools. Until now, I had never heard of Edward McCabe—and his remarkable life story is unforgettable. This book also vividly captures the experiences of the first generation of free Black Americans in Kansas and Oklahoma. Powerful, eye-opening, and essential—read it and learn.