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First African Slaves Arrive in America
In 1619, African slaves were brought to Jamestown, Virginia and the slave trade came to America. -
Rise of the Cotton Industry in the South
With the end of the Revolutionary War in America came the rise of the cotton industry. Cotton was used as a cash crop in order to keep the southern economy intact. In order to cultivate the cotton, plantations used slave labor and the need for black slaves increased as a result. -
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 was passed in conjunction with the rising number of black slaves in the US. The law sought to prevent slaves from attempting to run away by providing the return of escaped slaves to their owners. -
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Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a network of southerners who were opposed to slavery and helped blacks make their way to the north. Harriet Tubman is most often associated with this movement for helping many slaves escape to freedom in the north. The movement reached its height in the 1850s and early 1860s, and estimates show that over a hundred thousand slaves were able to escape. -
The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise occured when Missouri wanted to joining the Union as a slave state, thus creating an imbalance between the number of free and slave states. The Compromise solved this issue by establishing Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state as well as creating a line across the bottom border of Missouri. All states above the line (excluding Missouri), had to be free states because of this. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner's Rebellion was a slave rebellion which occured after Turner had a "vision" and led an attack on whites in Southampton County, Virginia. Turner was caught and executed along with hundreds of other slaves who were punished as well. In total, Turner, 70 slaves, & 55 whites were killed in the incident. The rebellion provoked fear in the South and led to more restrictive laws for blacks. -
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Abolitionist movement
The abolitionist movement campaigned for an immediate end to slavery. Unlike Republican anti-slavery tactics of slowly ending slavery in a gradual manner, this movement was not willing to compromise. The movement was led by both whites, free blacks, and escaped slaves. Notable leaders of the movement include William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass. -
Dredd Scott Court Decision
Dredd Scott was a black slave who had lived with his master for five years in Illinois and Wisconsin territory. He sued his master for his freedom due to his long residence in free territories. On March 6, 1857 the Supreme Court ruled that Scott was a slave and not a citizen which meant that he could not sue in court. -
John Brown's Raid
John Brown, a white abolitionist, launched an effort to free slaves by going town to town, freeing slaves and building up a "mob" army along the way. His efforts were unsuccessful, and the revolt ended just days after his first attack, which was in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now part of West Virginia). This radical anti-slavery revolt was a reminder of the growing tensions and the North's great opposition to slavery. -
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Civil War
Roughly 180,000 African Americans fought in the Civil War for the Union War. One of the main resolutions of the war was the abolishment of slavery and the advancement of black rights. US President Abraham Lincoln is credited with freeing the slaves, and the Emancipation Proclamation helped set the stage for abolishing slavery. The Civil War was a positive event in black history because it brought an end to slavery and brought upon new opportunities for African Americans -
Abraham Lincoln Issues the Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation which stated that on January 1 1863, all slaves in the South would be free and thus shifted the focus of the Civil War to both a battle to save the country and to end slavery as well. -
Conscription Law of 1863
This act established a draft during the Civil War in order to increase the size and power of the Union army. Since upper class whites could buy their way out of being drafted with a replacement, many blacks were sent to fight for the Union. -
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Reconstruction
The Reconstruction Era took place following the Civil War. The era was focused on rebuilding the south and progressing black rights. Blacks earned many rights, such as the right to vote and hold public office. However, many of the advancements made during Reconstruction did not last once the Union stopped occupying the south. -
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Lynching in America
Multiple factors in the country led to an increase in lynching of mostly blacks in the South. Things like a decline in the price of cotton and racial tensions all contributed to the situation, though the number of cases decreased with the beginning of World War I. -
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Jim Crow Laws in America
Jim Crow Laws created segregation in the country between blacks and whites which led to a division in society with seperate facilities for almost everything. -
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Black Voting Rights Supressed
Southern Literacy Tests: required individuals to pass a literacy test in order to excersise their right to vote. The questions were often absurd as well.
Grandfather Clause: Exception to the literacy test which stated that any individuals who were related to someone who voted in 1860 were not required to take the literacy test.
Poll Tax: Tax that was required to be paid in order to excersise voting rights. -
Ida B. Wells "Lynch Law in America" Speech
Following the lynching of black Americans in the country, Ida B. Wells spoke out against this horrible act to a crowd in Chicago. Her speech portayed her disgust with the situation and called it America's "national crime", -
Chicago Race Riots
The Chicago Race Riots started when black people were swimming at a "white" beach. They lasted for about a week, until the riots were put down by troops. This is a prime example of the growing racial tensions in the North as a result of the Great Migration. -
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Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was black cultural, social, and artisitic movement in the 1920s. The start and end dates are indefinite, but the movement spanned the 20s. A new creativity took over the blacks living in the Harlem neighborhood of NYC, and many famous African Americans such as writer Langston Hughes and musician Louis Armstrong rose up as a result of the Harlem Renaissance. This spark of creativity produced many other famos artists, authors, and musicians, and helped black advancement. -
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UNIA
The Universal Negro Improvement Association led by Marcus Garvey, sought to build racial pride for blacks by challenging white ideals and advocating for blacks seperatisim as well. In addition, the UNIA pushed African Americans to move back to Africa due to the belief that blacks would never be treated properly in a country ruled by whites. -
The Scottsboro Boys
The Scottsboro Boys were a group of nine black boys who were accused of raping two white women: Victoria Price and Ruby Bates in a boxcar in Scottsboro, Arizona. Due to discrimination, they were given quick trials that were clearly biased against them and represented just another example of the discrimination that blacks faced during this time. -
Jesse Owens wins 4 Gold Medals at Olympics
The 1936 Olympics were held in Berlin not too long before the start of World War II. Not only was Nazi propaganda everywhere, but Germany also was dominant in many of the events. American track athlete Jesse Owens changed that by winning 4 gold medals. This greatly angered Hitler not only because Germany lost to a "less superior country" but also because the man who beat them was the exact opposite of the Aryan race that he had believed in and promoted. -
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Double V Campaign
The Double V campaign was popularized by the Black community during World War II. The campaign sought to achieve victory over discrimination at home and victory of facism overseas. In the end though, the Double V campaign did not succeed as racial tension still remained in the country. -
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Sit in movement
Sit ins started as early as the 1940s. The sit in movement was largely led by groups like SNCC and CORE. The protests involved blacks and whites sitting together in public businesses, causing trouble and disruption. The sit in movement was an example of non-violent civil disobedience. -
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African Americans in WWII
Many African American soldiers fought for the United States in WW2. The black soldiers, however, were segregated in the US armed forces. Almost 2.5 million blacks fought for the US during WW2. Segregation in armed forces didn't end until 1947, after the war ended. -
Jackie Robinson Plays His First Game in the MLB
On April 15, 1947 Jackie Robinson played his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers of the MLB. Robinson became the first African American player in the history of the MLB and helped to integrate sports as well. -
Brown v Board of Education Ruling
On May 17 1954, the Brown v BOE case ended when the US Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, reversing the previous ruling of "seperate but equal" facilities in the Plessy v Ferguson case of 1896. After southern schools attempted to prevent black children like the "Little Rock Nine" from attending their schools, the government was forced to intervene for their safety. -
Emmett Till Murdered
In August of 1955, a 14 year old black boy from Chicago named Emmett Till had traveled to Money, Mississippi in order to visit some of his relatives. While in a grocery store there, he allegedly made an inappropriate to the white woman behind the counter which was extremely against the very racially strict south. Not too long after the incident, the woman's husband found Till and brutally killed him, tossing his body into the river. -
Rosa Parks Begins Montgomery Bus Boycott
On December 1, 1955 a black woman named Rosa Parks was asked to give up her seat to a white man while riding on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. After refusing, Parks was arrested for violating the city's policy that required black citizens to give up their seats to whites if necessary. Following her arrest, the Montgomery Improvement Association led by Martin Luther King, began boycotting buses in Montgomery, crippling the city as a result due to the large population of blacks. -
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Black Power Movement
The Black Power movement was led by groups such as Nation of Islam and the Black Panther Party. The movement is associated with black pride and black power. The movement sometimes resorted to violence, and was much more aggressive than previous civil rights movements. Leaders such as Bobby Seale, Malcolm X, and Elijah Muhammed were influential in this movement. -
Freedom Rides Begin
May of 1961 marked the beginning of Freedom Rides to the south. The purpose of these rides was to have blacks and whites ride on a bus together to the south since the Supreme Court banned segregation on interstate buses. As the riders went from Washington DC to New Orleans, they encountered a lot of resistance from both southern citizens and southern law enforcement who sought to prevent them from achieving their goal. -
Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" Speech
On August 28, 1963, about 250,000 people particpated in the March on Washington which was the largest demonstration ever in Washington DC. The March ended in front of the Lincoln Memorial where the members witnessed as Martin Luther King gave his famous speech in which he said “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” This became an iconic event for the movement. -
Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer was a civil rights movement in the summer of 1964. The movement focused on education black Americans and helping African Americans utilise their right to vote. The movement was widely successful in advancing black rights and educationin Mississippi. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Johnson on July 2, 1964. The act eliminated segregation in public as well as discrimination in public and racial discrinimation in the workplace. -
Malcolm X killed
On Feb. 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated. Malcolm X was a civil rights leader, and first rose to prominence with Nation of Islam. After leaving the group, he was widely disliked by Nation of Islam supporters, and was eventually assassinated by a member of the Nation of Islam. -
Voting Rights of 1965
The Voting Rights of 1965 was signed into law on August 6, 1965 by President Johnson. The law got rid of literacy tests for blacks and encouraged blacks to become more politically involved. In addition, the law helped to encourage greater social equality and decrease the economic and educational gap as well. -
Fair Housing Act of 1968
The Fair Housing Act of 1968 was signed into law by President Johnson in April of 1968. The law prevented discrinimation in relation to anything involving housing like sale, renting or financing based off of an individual's race, religion, place of origin or gender. -
MLK Assassination
Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in Memphis on April 4, 1968. MLK was the most successful and famous civil rights leader from the American civil rights movement. MLK's death was a turning point for the movement, with his death steering the movement into a more violent direction.
