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The first African slaves arrive in America
In 1619, Colonial records first inidcate the presence of black servants in Virginia, America. -
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The Abolitionist Movement
Though the concept had been seen in Europe centuries before, the Abolitionist movement, or the push for the end of slavery, came to America with the quakers during the First Great Awakening. This movement would see great leaders such as Frederick Douglas and would end with the Emancipation Proclamation in America. -
Phyllis Wheatley publishes her book
Freed slave Phyllis Wheatley publishes Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, making her the first African American to publish a book. Having recognized her talent at a young age, her masters had taught her how to read and write. -
Slavery is abolished in the Northwest Territories.
Congress decides that there can be no slavery in the newly formed states in the Northwest. However, they also decide that slave trade will continue until 1808 -
Congress bans slave trade
As promised in 1787, Congress enacts a ban on the importation of slaves from Africa. -
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Frederick Douglas
An escaped slave, Frederick Douglas would go on to become one of the best orators in the North and become a leader of the abolitionist movement. -
WIlliam Lloyd Garrison publishes the Liberator
William Lloyd Garisson begins to write a weekly newspaper fighting for the abolition of slavery. He would go on to become one of the most prominent figures of the abolitionist movement. -
Nat Turner's slave uprising
Nat Turner, an enslaved African-American preacher leads the most significant slave uprising in American history. He and his band of followers launch a short, bloody, rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia. -
The Wilmot Proviso
David Wilmot of Pennsylvania attempts to ban slavery in the territory gained in the Mexican War. However, the proviso is blocked by the South. -
Harriet Tubman eascapes and becomes leader
Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery and becomes one of the most effective and celebrated leaders of the Underground Railroad. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin is published
Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin is published. It becomes one of the most influential works to stir anti-slavery sentiments. -
Capture of the Amistad
A group of slaves revolt and take command of the slave ship Amistad, killing all sailors but the captain. The captain then tricks them by bringing the ship to New York instead of back to Africa. The slaves are tried, but acquitted and eventually sent home. -
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Civil War
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Emancipation Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in the United States. This signing made the Civil War a fight over slavery. However, the proclamation did not affect the border states. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln, as the country entered the third year of the Civil War.It proclaimed the freedom of slaves in the ten states that were still in rebellion, thus applying to 3.1 million of the 4 million slaves in the U.S. at the time. -
The KKK is formed
Former confederates in Tennessee form the Ku Klux Klan, an organized hate group against antone who was not a white Christian, especially blacks. -
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Black Code Laws
The South in response to the end of slavery with the end of the Civil War, enacts several Black Code laws. These laws restricted the right of all the freed slaves and often forced them into poor working conditions with very little pay. -
Blacks given right to vote
Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, giving blacks the right to vote. -
Black Exodus takes place
The Black Exodus takes place, in which tens of thousands of African Americans migrated from southern states to Kansas. -
Jim Crow Laws
While the first Jim Crow laws had been passed in 1876, this marked the first of the truly impactful laws. These Jim Crow laws were a type of "Black Code" law and created the concept of "separate but equal" public facilities for African Americans. Unfortunately, while the facilities were separate, they were not equal. -
NAACP is founded
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is founded in New York by prominent black and white intellectuals and led by W.E.B. Du Bois. -
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Great Depression
The Great Depression hits America and subsequently the rest of the world. The economy tanks as banks make loans and are not repaid. People become unable to access their money. -
Jesse Owens: sucessful American African athelet
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete and four-time Olympic gold medalist.At the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, Owens won international fame with four gold medals: 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump, and 4x100 meter relay. He was the most successful athlete at the games and as such has been credited with "single-handedly crush[ing] Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy. -
CORE is formed
The Congress of Racial Equality, one of the largest organizations for civil rights, is formed -
Jack Robinson changed Major League Baseball forever
Jackie Robinson breaks Major League Baseball's color barrier when he is signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers by Branch Rickey. -
Desegregation of the U.S military
Although African Americans had participated in every major U.S. war, it was not until after World War II that President Harry S. Truman issues an executive order integrating the U.S. armed forces. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
African Americans in the South score a huge victory as the Supreme Court overturns one of the Jim Crow laws and declares that "separate but equal" school are unconstitutional. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat at the front of the "colored section" of a bus to a white passenger (Dec.1). In response to her arrest Montgomery's black community launch a successful year-long bus boycott. Montgomery's buses are desegregated on Dec. 21, 1956. -
Martin Luther King's "I have a dream"
Martin Luther King Jr., pastor and leader of the African American civil rights movement, gives one of the most famous speeches in Washington D.C. His speech, describing his dream of equality for all races, was actually impromptu, and not the speech he had prepared. -
Malcolm X is assassinated
Malcolm X, black nationalist and founder of the Organization of Afro-American Unity, is assassinated. -
Watts Riots
Fueled by racial segregation, A six day riot breaks out in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts. The riots caused over 40 million dollars in damage. -
Martin Luther King is assassinated
Martin Luther King, Jr., is assassinated in Memphis, Tenn. (April 4). -
Colin Powell
Colin Powell became the first African American to serve on the United States joint Cheif of Staff in 1989. He would then go on to become the first African American to become the Secretary of State in 2001 under George Bush -
Rodney King
After a high-speed car chase, Rodney King was thrown out of his car and brutally beaten by police officers, supposedly because he was black. All four of the police officers were then acquitted of all charges, raising a national civil rights outcry. -
Obama becomes first black president
Barack Obama Democrat from Chicago, becomes the first African-American president and the country's 44th president.
