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African Americans Found in British North America
Slaves are first reported to be in British North America (Jamaestown, Virginia). However, there may have been African slaves in North America prior to any written documentation. Slavery had existed in other parts of the world like the Carribbean Islands and South America. -
Chattel Slavery
At first Africans were treated as indentured servants in Jamestown, Virginia. However, a few years later a few people ran away from their "master". The Caucasian people were ordered to serve one more year as an indentured servant. The African American was ordered to serve the rest of his life as a slave. This seems to be the start of life long slavery in the United States or at that time the British Colonies. -
Stono Slave Revolt
Both in the north and the south over four decades there were some major and minor slave revolts. The Stono Revolt was lead by a new slave that just arrived with twenty others from Angola. They made their way towards Florida after taking weapons from a weare house and killed the workers there. Their numbers grew as they fled and they killed more and more people. Finally they were disperesed and some were killed but a few were not recaptured for three years. -
African American Soldiers
General George Washington finally allows African Americans to fight in the Continental Army. Washington realized he was losing and needed all the help he could get. African Americans like Lemuel Haynes proved invaluable to the the fight against Great Britain and for the freedom of the United States. -
Benjamin Banneker's Letter
Benjamin Banneker was a self educated free African American farmer. He was also a scientist, a mathametican, and a clock maker. He wrote many almanacs in his life. Now one day he went to send Thomas Jefferson one of his almanacs when he deciided to sit down and pen out a letter describing how slavery does not make sense nor is morally or politically correct. The letter was written when the African American Enlightenment period had already started. -
End of Slave Trade
The United States Congress declared and passed a bill stating that there will be no more importation of Africans as slave. This did not end slavery or the sale of slaves but it was a start. This followed the Slave Trade Act of 1794 which prohibited the building of new ships to import slaves in the United States. -
War of 1812
The start of the War of 1812 proved that Americans had a lot of fear still of arming African Americans. They refused at first. In fact all southern slave owners would not allow their slaves to participate at all in this war. However, the British once again offered to free any slaves that served for them. Some did go and help. Other African Americans in the north did eventually help towards the end of the war and fought in two major battles. -
Harriet Beall Beans
Manumission is the process of slave owners providing papers to slaves who were given their freedom. Eventhough there were some free African Americans prior to 1820, black laws demanded that from 1820-1862, African Americans must prove they are legally free. If no proof could be obtained they were resold into slavery. Ms. Beans papers are still on official record to this day. By this time there were many small African American freemen living in small communities. -
Freedom's Journal
Freedom's Journal is the first run and owned African American newspaper. It would print topics and issues of the day. It posed questions and opened up for debates. It wasn't just bought by African Americans, many could not read, many Caucasian people purchased this paper as well. -
Federick Douglas
Wrote his first autobiography called, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave. Even though he spoke at several abolitionists meetings prior to the autobiography, this lead to his career fighting for the end of slavery and equality. He counseled many leaders including presidents. -
Civil War
The Civil War broke out on the firing of Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. Several southern states has seceded from the United States after the election of Abraham Lincoln. Slavery was not the main cause of the war. It was differences on whether state should have more autonomy and power or one centralized government. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
This proclamation stated that all African Americans are free except in the four border states. Lincoln did not want to loose their support. However, many African Americans remember when it was read and how it was very emotional to them even though it wasn't written so well. This proclamation now made the war about freedom. -
54th Massachusetts Regiment
In the beginning of the war, African Americans were not allowed to fight for the Union. Most southenors fearing a rebellion would not use slaves as soldiers either. Both sides did however give these soldiers the jobs no one wanted. (Digging Graves) Finally after two years African Americans were allowed to train but had to make their own regiment and be segregated from the Caucasians. -
Ku Klux Klan
This was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee. This was origianally Confederate Veterans that formed a club together. However, it had severe and deadly consequences. They would wear sheets over their heads and attack African Americans or anyone who helped them. Many died and the Klan still meets today. -
Fifteenth Admendment
This bill was first proposed in 1869. In finally was ratified in 1870. This bill made it so that any man no matter their race has the right to vote. -
Jim Crow Laws
These laws followed the Black Laws in 1860. The Jim Crow Laws made it clear that segregation was a must. Hospitals, water fountains, military, and even bathrooms were to be separate. -
World War I
Once again African Americans came ready to support their country in war. There were the 9th and 10th Calvery, the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments, over 5,000 men in the Navy, and the Marines refused African American soldiers. The military still remained strictly segregated. However, the NAACP and African American leaders erged for African American officers. -
World War II
World War II laid down the ground work for desegregation of the military which happened in 1948. Even though at the beginning of the war only 4,000 African Americans were serving by 1945 1.2 million were serving in uniform. All military branches also had an African American group. There duties at first were non combative but that did change on occasion and some African Americans were in the bigger battles and many helped in the emancipation of holocaust victims. -
Rosa Parks
On this night Ms. Parks sat in a seat. A Caucasian man asked her to move to the back but there were no more seats back there. She said no. She was then harrassed, bullied, and arrested. This civil right leaders like Dr. King Jr. to lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The bus company lost a lot of revenue and desegregated their buses to have African American patrons again. -
I Have A Dream
Dr. Martin Luther King delivered a speech that spoke to everyone no matter his or her culture, class, or race. He spoke about how he knows that one day we will judge each not by our skin color, or money in our pockets, or by how choose or not to worship; but how we act towards each other. We will all be equal. A year later came the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which ended segregation officially.
