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Abolition of Slavery
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution was passed by Congress in Washington, D.C. on January 31, 1865 and ratified by the states in December of that same year, finally outlawing slavery in all parts of the United States3. This was one of the first steps toward civil rights. Abolition was the event that fueled the start of the women's rights movement as well. This was one of the first major steps towards civil rights in American history. -
Blacks Granted the Right to Vote
After the passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, African American men were quickly given the right to vote in 1870. This was passed by Congress in Washington, D. C. on February 26, 1869 and ratified the next year in 1870. The Amendment states, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude3.” -
The Great Migration
Even though small steps were being made towards equal rights, African Americans still faced terrible injustices and extreme hatred, especially in the South. From 1865 to 1900 there were a reported 3,500 lynchings and other African American murders in the South. The year 1910 marked the start of what was called The Great Migration, where blacks flocked north searching for better housing opportunities, better pay, and allover a better life1. -
Creation of fhe National Woman's Party
Following ratification of the 15th Amendment women were still not granted the same rights as men nationally. A woman named Alice Paul joined the national women’s movement and created her own movement due to her frustration with her previous party’s lack of gains. In 1913 Paul created the National Woman’s Party, which had fewer members than the previous association, yet gained more attention with tactics that included weekly newsletters, parades, protests, picketing, and hunger strikes. -
The Red Summer Race Riots
After World War I white soldiers returned home to find their jobs had been taken by African Americans who had moved to the bigger northern cities during the Great Migration. Race riots ensued and African Americans lives were in danger both in the North and the South. A week long riot broke out in Chicago after a black youth was stoned to death for swimming too close to a “white only” beach. During that summer over 250 people were murdered1. -
Women Granted the Right to Vote
All the work and petitioning done by suffragist leaders in the 1800s and early 1900s around Washington, Philadelphia, New York and other parts of the East coast finally paid off on August 18, 1920 when the 19th Amendment was added to the constitution stating that, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex3.”
