The "40 acres and a mule" promise is a pivotal but unfulfilled commitment in Black History in the United States. After the Civil War, General William T. Sherman issued Special Field Order No. 15, granting land to newly freed slaves. This promise symbolized hope for economic independence and self-sufficiency. However, the promise was later revoked, leaving many African Americans without the land they had been promised. It represents both the potential for progress and the injustices faced by Black Americans during the era of Reconstruction.