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1200 BCE
Native Americans
It is unsure when the first people settled in Amerika, but scientists has estimated that it could be as soon as 1200 B.C. -
Apr 3, 1492
Europeans settlers
Leif Ericson is known to be the first European to ''discover'' America. He was actually heading to Greenland, but missed on the way. Columbus was credited on the discovery of Amerika, even though Ericson discovered it first. This is because Ericson was never able to settle down. Christopher Columbus brought a crew and guns with him. Therefore it was easier for him than for Leif Ericson to defeat the Native Americans. -
First slaves
In 1619 the first slaves arrived America. They were brought by Dutch traders from a Spanish slave ship to an English colony in Virginia. The number of slaves in America grew as the years went by. By the turn of the eighteenth century more than 1000 slaves were shipped to America every year. -
Triangular trade
The triangular trade or triangle trade was a type of collaboration between Afrika, Amerika and Europe. Colonies from Afrika sent slaves to Amerika, which were then used to work at plantations. Amerika then sold the crops from the plantations, such as corn, sugar, tobacco, cotton, rice, coffee and cocoa, to Europe. Europa sold weapons and necessities to Afrika. The name comes from the route it took to ship the products. -
Civil War, Emancipation Proclamation
The Civil War was fought between South and North when the South wanted to break out of the Union and become independent. The emancipation proclamation was an executive order by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. The order purported to change the legal status of more than 3 million African American slaves from ''slave'' to free'' -
The Abolishment of Slavery
Slavery was made illegal in 1863, in the middle of the Civil War. It was the President Abraham Lincoln who did so, not because he felt for the slaves(which he did), but because he thought it would be a good strategy during war. -
Legislated Segregation
Between 1874 to 1975, the Jim Crow laws were existent. These laws ensured that segregation was legislated in the US. A motto they often used was "Separate but Equal". In reality, Afro Americans were separated but rarely treated equal. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Based on an incident were Homer Plessy refused to sit in a Jim Crow car. He therefore broke the Louisiana Law. Plessy was brought before the US Supreme Court. By a 7-1 vote, he lost. -
Brown vs. Board of education
The Brown family sued the Board of Education demanding that school should be for eveyone and that they should no longer be separate. This is because their kids had to go to a school far away because all the nearby school were for whites. -
John F. Kennedy
JFK was the 35th president of The United States of America from 1961-1963. He is known for supporting racial integration, and having an impact on the civil rights history. These are some of the main reasons why he won the election. Over 70% of the African Americans voted for him. Many of these votes provided the winning edge in several key states. Sadly, Kennedy was shot and murdered in 1963. -
Civil Rights Act 1964
A law that outlaws discrimination based on race, religion, sex etc. The law was an outcome of the ''civil rights speech'' John F Kennedy held in 1963. -
Voting Rights Act 1965
In 1965, Afro Americans were finally given the right to vote. This meant that more Afro Americans could get into the congress, thus making the country truly more equal as the Afro Americans representatives knew what issues Afro Americans had to deal with. -
Civil Rigths Act 1968
Also called the ''Fair Housing Act''. This law made it illegal to by force interfere with anyone based on their race, colour, national origin etc. The law provided for equal housing opportunities regardless of racial differences. -
First Black President
Barack Obama was elected as the first black Presiden of the United States. He was reelected again four years later. This event lead many black americans to be more ambitious and hopeful about the future.