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Election of Abraham Lincoln
The election caused seven southern states to secede and form the Confederate States of America. Soon four states joined them. -
Civil War
It was a war due to tensions between Northern and southern states over slavery, state rights and westward expansions. It ended in 1865 and the conflict was the costliest and deadliest war ever fought on American soil. -
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14th & 15th Amendment
The 14th Amendment gave Black people equal protection under the law and the 15th Amendment granted Black American men the right to vote. -
Jim Crow laws - the late 19th century
The laws were made to separate the black People from the white people. The laws were established in the South and for example Black people couldn‘t use the same public facilities, interracial marriage was illegal and Black people were unable to pass voter literacy tests. -
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World War II
During World War II, most Black People worked as low-wage farmers, factory workers, domestics or servants. Black men and women served heroically in World War II, they suffered from segregation and discrimination during their deployment. -
Executive Order 8802
After thousand of Black people threatened to march on Washington to demand equal employment rights, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802. It opened national defense jobs and government jobs to all Americans regardless of race, creed, color or national origin. -
Executive order 9981
President Harry Truman initiated a civil rights agenda and issued Executive Order 9981 to end discrimination in the military. These Events helped set the stage for grass-roots initiatives to enact racial equality legislation. -
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Civil Rights Movement
It was a movement for social justice and for Black Americans to gain equal rights under the law in the United States.