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Civil Rights Act, 1866
This Act stipulated that all citizens are equal and will be enjoy equal protection of the law -
The 15th Amendment, 1870
This Amendment guaranteed that all men, regardless of color, or previous slave hood, have equal right to vote. This was however not achieved because in the south, constraints such as poll taxes and literacy tests were used to deny African Americans this right. This condition persisted for close to a century -
The Atlanta Compromise
The Atlanta Compromise is a speech delivered by Booker T. Washington, in Atlanta. The crux of the speech was that African Americans should peacefully coexist with the whites, and continue to work as usual, as a way of showing that they deserved the basic civil rights. This was a departure from violence that had come to characterized demonstrations held by African Americans to push the authorities to grant their civil rights -
Civil Rights Movement
The Niagra Movement comes to an end. It is replaced by the new National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). This ushers in a new age considered to be one in which citizens will strive for equality, freedom, and liberties regardless of their color. -
Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage
Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage was formed by Alice Paul in 1913. The aim was to have the issue of women suffrage in the United States to be taken more seriously. Alice Paul and her team of women protested at the White House for almost 2 years up to 1917. She was eventually arrested and died in detention. This development, and the overall treatment of the protesting women ashamed President Wilson, leading to a change in his stance on the issue of women suffrage -
Harlem Hellfighters, 1918
The role of African Americans on the battlefield was largely peripheral. However, the Hellfighters was a contingent of U.S. forces made largely by African Americans who served in France. However, due to their outstanding service, when they returned home in 1919, there received the Legion of Merit, and participated in a parade held in their honor -
The 19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment was instrumental in conferring women their right to vote. This amendment was to be ratified by 36 states. The deciding vote was that of Tennessee, which had not voted. Representative Burns was convinced by his own mother to pass the vote. On August 20, 1920, the amendment was ratified, giving women across the nation the right to vote.
