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The work of Reconstruction
John Roy Lynch was a former slave. He was swept into office in the first election that African Americans were allowed to vote. He took on postwar rebuilding tasks that faced the Mississippi legislature in 1869. Funds were raised by taxing controversially people that were already bankrupt by the war.
Unit 1, Topic 1, Petition of A.A citizens of Calhoun, GA
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh//amex/reconstruction/activism/ps_lynch.html -
John Willis Menard
John Willis Menard of Louisiana became the first African American to address the U.S. House while it was in session. He was defending his seat from a contested election. In November 1968, he won a special election making him the first African American to serve in congress. His opponent, Caleb Hunt, challenged his right to be seated.
Unit 1, Topic 1 - African Americans in Congress
http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/BAIC/Historical-Essays/Introduction/Symbolic-Generation/ -
1875 Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act protected all Americans, regardless of race. It was to protect their access to public accommodations and facilities such as restaurants, theaters, trains and other public transportation. It also protected the right to serve on juries. However, it was not enforced, and the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional in 1883.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh//amex/reconstruction/activism/ps_1875.html
Unit 1, Topic 1, Petition of A.A citizens of Calhoun, GA -
Booker T Washington
Booker T. Washington spoke before a predominantly white audience at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta on 9/18/1895. It was the "Atlanta Compromise" speech. It was one of the most important and influential speeches in American history.
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/39/
Unit 2, Topic 4 - Other voices -
W.E.B Du Bois
Du Bois famous book, The Souls of Black Folk was released in 1903. In it, he charged that Washington's strategy kept the black man down rather than freed him. This polarized the leaders of the black community into two wings, the conservative supporters of Washington and his radical critics.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_people_dubois.html
Unit 2, Topic 4 - Other Voices -
Ida B Wells
Ida B. Wells was a teacher in Memphis Tennessee. In 1909, she helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which is still in place today. (http://www.naacp.org/) Wells-Barnett continued her fight for black civil and political rights and an end to lynching.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_people_wells.html
Unit 2, Topic 4- Other Voices -
The Great Migration
The Great Migration was the mass movement of about five million southern blacks to the north and west between 1915 and 1960. The first large movement occurred during World War I, when 454,000 black southerners moved north, to places like Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and New York. The main motivations for migration were the desire to escape oppressive economic conditions in the south and the promise of greater prosperity in the north.
http://www.blackpast.org/aah/great-migration-1915-1960 -
NAACP Silent Protest Parade, New York City
Nearly 10,000 African Americans and their supporters march down Manhattan's Fifth Avenue. Organized by the NAACP, the silent march protested against lynchings, race riots, and the denial of rights. This is the first major civil rights demonstration in the 20th Century. The marchers carried banners and posters stating their reasons for the march. This protest was unlike any other seen in the city and the nation.
http://www.blackpast.org/aah/naacp-silent-protest-parade-new-york-city-1917 -
Constitution of the Universal Negro Improvement Association
Marcus Garvey leads The Universal Negro Improvement Association. It is founded by persons who desire to work for the general uplift of the Negro peoples of the world. The members pledge themselves to conserve the rights of their noble race and to respect the rights of all mankind. “One God! One Aim! One Destiny!”
http://www.blackpast.org/primary/constitution-universal-negro-improvement-association-1918
