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Slavery in America
Slaves, captured and sold from their homeland of Africa by European traders, were a part of a triangular trade system between South America, North America and Europe as early as the 1500's. In 1619, 20 Africans were sold into slavery in Jamestown, Virginia as the colonial settlements grew. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-28351 -
Stono Rebellion
The largest slave uprising in colonial America occured near Charleston, South Carolina. The Stono Rebellion was one of a number of revolts across colonial America. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-38902 -
Three-Fifths Compromise
Delegates to the Constitutional Convention were torn over slavery. Many delegates wanted to end the importing of new slaves. A compromise was struck. The Three-Fifths Compromise stated that every five slaves in a state would count as three people. This gave the southern states additional representation and prolonged the debate over slavery. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-USZCN4-220 -
Demand for Slave Labor in the South
Eli Whitney's invention, the cotton gin, could clean seeds from cotton fibers 50 times faster than by hand. This caused a boom in cotton production and a demand for labor to grow, harvest annd clean cotton. The slave population increased from fewer than 700,000 in 1790 to 2.5 million by 1840. Image courtesy of National Archives, 305886 -
Where did Jim Crow get its name?
The name "Jim Crow" comes from a children's song that took on a new meaning when a white performer in a minstrel show (traveling show) created a stereotyped black character. The term became a racial slur used to demean African Americans. Image courtesy of Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-13935 -
Civil War Begins
The first shots of the Civil War were fired at Ft. Sumter, South Carolina. Image courtesy of Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsca-19520 -
Emancipation Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln officially declared an end to slavery. Lincoln said that it was "the central act of my administration, and the greatest event of the 19th century." Do you agree? Can you imagine being a slave one day and “free” the next day? What kind of challenges would you face? Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, cph 3a53289 -
Reconstruction
1863-1877: Reconstruction was the process of putting the South (the land, people, and economy) back together after the Civil War. A positive aspect of Reconstruction was that rights for African Americans were starting to be protected by the government. However, black codes, local laws in the South that limited the rights of newly freed African Americans, persisted. Was this progress? Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-175 (5-1) -
Freedmen’s Bureau
The Freedmen's Bureau was created to help recently freed African Americans survive in the post-war. They set up schools, settled land and contract issues, and pushed toward legal equality. Do you think this was an easy task? Image courtesy of National Archives, 593457 -
Birth of the Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan was a white, southern terrorist group formed to drive out republican control in the South and limit rights of African Americans and other minority groups. What kind of violence were they responsible for? Who do you think joined the KKK? Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-28024 -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment extended “equal protection of the laws” to all citizens. Image courtesy of National Archives, 1667751 -
Civil Rights Act overturned
The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was overturned. Once that happened, southern states enacted widespread segregation (separating the races) with legislation (laws). Image courtesy of LIbrary of Congress, LC-USF33-20522-M2 -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson- In protest of the law, blacks tested the statute’s constitutionality by having a light-skinned African American (Homer Plessy) board a train that was for whites only. He was quickly arrested and tested whether “separate but equal” is said to be fair and legal. (Do you think everything was really equal though?) Plessy did not win the case. In other words, segregation is legal at this point in history. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-75338 -
1917-1935: The Harlem Renaissance
1917-1935: The Harlem Renaissance- Did anything good happen in this time period for African Americans? Yes! Many new artists, writers, musicians and peformers emerged with great talent. The Harlem Renaissance was a literary movement, a cultural movement, and an era of racial pride. A period of "great migration" to the North also encouraged gatherings of these great artists in places like Harlem, New York. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-DIG-van-5a52142 -
The Red Summer
1919: The Red Summer- What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of red? Is it blood? Why would a season in 1919 be remembered for blood? What was happening all across the South with violence against other races? Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, DN-0071298 -
Brown v. Board of Education
1954: Brown v. Board of Education- The courts finally ruled that “separate but equal” was unconstitutional. Who was Brown? Brown was the father of 8 year old Linda Brown who was required to walk past a whites-only school near her home to board a bus that transported her to a black school on the other side of town. The Brown family sued the school district to allow Linda to attend the white school and won! Image courtesy of National Archives, 1656510
