-
The first African slaves arrive in Virginia
They were brought to Jamestown by Dutch traders. -
Stono Rebellion
A slave named Jemmy (also called Cato), led up to 60 others in an armed march towards Florida. They burned plantations and killed ~23 whites before being halted by the South Carolina Militia. Almost all of the rebels were executed. The reactions from this rebellion caused a tightening of slave law. -
Lucy Terry becomes first African American poet
Her poem, Bar's Fight, which was about a Native American attack on Deerfield (her village), was not published until 1855. -
Crispus Attucks dies in the Boston Massacre
He was considered the first American to die in the American Revolution, and he was used as propaganda for years afterwards. -
Phillis Wheatley becomes the first African American with a published book
The book published was Poems On Various Subjects, Religious And Moral. -
Slavery Outlawed In The Northwest
While slavery itself was made illegal, the actual banning of slave trade could not occur until 1808, due to the Constitution. -
Federal Fugitive Slave Law Passed
This law forced the return of any escaped slave to their owner, regardless of whether or not they had crossed state lines. -
Eli Whitney invents the Cotton Gin
This new device greatly increased the demand for slave labor by increasing the productivity of cotton plantations. -
Gabriel Prosser plans a revolt
Gabriel Prosser, an enslaved blacksmith, planned an armed revolt that would march on Richmond. Unfortunately, the plan was uncovered, and Gabriel, along with 25 other slaves, were hanged. -
Slave Importation Banned
Congress banned the importation of slaves from Africa, however internal slave trade is still rampant. -
Missouri Compromise
Under the provision of the Missouri Compromise, all slave states must be under the 30' 30" line, and all free states above. This was to solve the balance issue in congress, as neither side wanted to be outnumbered in the house. -
Denmark Vesey Executed
Denmark Vesey, a talented carpenter, plots a revolt to assault Charleston. The plan is uncovered, and Denmark is hanged, along with 34 others. -
The Liberator is Published
Written by William Lloyd Garrison, it was a weekly paper supporting the abolition of slavery. Because of this, William became one of the most famous people of the abolitionist movement. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner led one of the bloodiest and most significant slave revolts in American history. It occurred in Southampton County, Virginia. It ends when a militia is called in, and Turner, hanged. it resulted in stricter slave laws for Virginia. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Proviso was an an attempt by David Wilmot to ban slavery in all territories gained in the Mexican War. It was not passed. -
Frederick Douglass Publishes The North Star
The North Star was an abolitionist newspaper. -
Harriet Tubman Escapes Slavery
From this point on, Harriet helped hundreds of slaves escape their bonds through the underground railroad, become one of the noblest abolitionists of all time. -
Compromise of 1850
This compromise dictates that California will become a free state, and the remaining territories will be decided by popular sovereignty. In addition to this. The trading of slaves in Washington, D.C. is prohibited, and a much stricter fugitive slave law is passed. This was all done to end the debates caused by the Mexican War. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin is published
This book was once of the most influential abolitionist books to ever be published, and is widely regarded as one of the causes of the Civil War. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act is Passed
This act effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise, and renewed slavery and anti-slavery tensions. Kansas and Nebraska are admitted as states under popular sovereignty. -
The Dred Scott Decision
In this landmark court case, Congress decided that they do not have the right to ban slavery in states, and that slaves do not count as citizens. -
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown and 21 others attempted to take the Harper's Ferry arsenal, and launch an armed revolt that would streak across the south, abolishing slavery once and for all. This unfortunately did not work, and largely caused the Civil War. -
The CSA is founded
When Lincoln got elected, the Deep South seceded, and formed the Confederate States of America. -
The Emancipation Proclomation
Issued by Abraham Lincoln, it pronounced all slaves in the Confederacy as free. -
The Civil War Ends
The Confederacy is dissolved, and slavery, abolished. -
Abraham Lincoln Dies
He was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. -
The Freedmen's Bureau
It was founded to help protect the rights of black citizens. -
The KKK is created
Founded by ex-confederates and white supremacists, the KKK was created in Tennessee. -
Slavery Officially Ends
Two months after the civil war, 250,000 slaves in Texas recieve the news, officially ending slavery. -
13th Amendment is Passed
It officially prohibits slavery, except for legal penalty (i.e: prison labor). -
Black Codes are Passed
These were used in the deep south to restrict the freedom of blacks. -
Reconstruction Acts are Passed
These split the south into 5 military districts, and guaranteed the rights of freed slaves. -
14th Amendment Passed
This amendment defined a citizen of the United States as anyone born or naturalized in the United States, including those born as slaves. This nullified the Dred Scott decision. -
15th Amendment Passed
This gave African Americans the right to vote. -
Hiram Revels Becomes First Black Senator
Along with this, 16 African Americans served in congress, and around 600 served in state legislatures. -
Reconstruction Ends
Most federal attempts to grant rights to African Americans are quickly phased out. -
Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Instituted Founded
It was founded by Booker T. Washington, in Alabama. -
Plessy V. Ferguson
This court case ruled that "separate but equal" was constitutional. -
N.A.A.C.P Founded
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was led by W.E.B Du Bois, and served as the country's most influential African-American Civil Rights organization. -
Harlem Renaissance
A new literary, artistic, and social movement fosters a new cultural identity for African Americans. -
Jackie Robinson Signed Into the Brooklyn Dodgers
This event broke the racial barrier for Major League Baseball. -
Army Integrated
Before this date, the military of America had been segregated, even though African Americans had participated in every major U.S war. -
Brown v. Board Of Education
In this landmark case, the segregation of schools was deemed unconstitutional. -
Emmett Till
He was murdered for allegedy whistling at a white woman in Mississippi. The two white men who were charged with the murder were acquitted by an all-white jury, and later boasted about committing the crime. This helped spur on the civil rights movement. -
Rosa Parks
She refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus, and became a figurehead of the civil rights movement (after getting arrested and sparking a mass bus boycott in Montgomery). Those buses were desegregated one year later. -
Little Rock Nine
These nine black students were prevented from entering the Little Rock School due to governor Orbal Faubus, and had to call in the National Guard to intervene. Despite this, they graduated from the school. -
Greensboro Sit-Ins
This series of nonviolent protests lasted for six months, to protest the segregation of the Greensboro school's lunch counters. The protest was successful, and the lunch counters were desegregated. -
The Freedom Riders
They were sponsored by the C.O.R.E to ride on buses throughout the south to test the new laws prohibiting segregation. -
The March On Washington For Jobs And Freedom
attended by over 250,000 people, this is where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I have a dream" speech. -
MLK Jr. Awarded The Nobel Peace Prize
-
Civil Rights Act
Signed in by president Johnson, the Civil Rights Act prohibited discrimination of any kind. -
Bloody Sunday
Peaceful demonstrators are violently attacked by state troopers on Pettus Bridge, Alabama. They used tear gas, whips, and clubs, hospitalizing over 50 demonstrators. -
The Black Panther Party
Founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. -
First African American Supreme Court Justice
Thurgood Marshall was appointed to the court by president Johnson. -
Civil Rights Act of 1968
Signed in by president Johnson, this version of the civil rights act also prevents discrimination in the housing market. -
MLK Assassinated
He was murdered in Memphis, Tennesse. James Earl Ray was accused of the crime. -
Marsha P. Johnson During The Stonewall Riots
Marsha P. Johnson was an American gay libertarian and trans woman who advocated for gay rights . She was known as one of the most prominent figures in Stonewall Riots of 1969, a serious of spontaneous, violent demonstrations by members of the gay community against a police raid that took place in the early hours of the morning of June 28th, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn. -
Rodney King Riots
The first race riots in decades, caused by the acquittal of four white police officers of the videotaped beating of Rodney King. -
Barack Obama Awarded Nobel Peace Prize
It was awarded to him due to his efforts in diplomacy and nuclear nonproliferation. -
Obama Becomes President
Barack Obama is the first African American president in history, winning the election against John McCain. -
MLK JR. Memorial opened in D.C
This is the first memorial dedicated to an african american built in the National Mall, and the fourth non-president memorial there. -
BLM Founded
The Black Lives Matter movement was created to campaign and protest against racism, especially in cases involving the police force or criminal justice system. It was originally founded after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, who shot and killed Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old student. -
Michael Bruce Curry Becomes Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
After a landslide vote, Bishop Curry became the first african american Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, a position he still serves today.