African-American l ISSUES l EVENTS The Author

African-American l ISSUES l EVENTS

The Author of Black History Carter G. Woodson (1857 – 1950) l If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated. " --Dr. Carter G. Woodson

Woodson l l In 1926 Woodson initiated the annual February observance of Negro History Week. He chose February for the observance because February twelfth was Abraham Lincoln's birthday and February fourteenth was the accepted birthday of Frederick Douglass. By the 1970 s, Negro History Week had expanded to become Black History Month.

SLAVERY

SLAVERY l l First African slaves brought to Virginia in 1619 1808 US bans the import of slaves

UNCLE TOM’S CABIN l Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, published on March 20, 1852 focused national attention on the cruelties of slavery.

DRED SCOTT CASE l On March 6, the Supreme Court decided that an African-American could not be a citizen of the U. S. , and thus had no rights of citizenship. The decision sharpened the national debate over slavery.

John Brown's Raid l On October 16 -17, 1859 John Brown raided the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia (today located in West Virginia). Brown's unsuccessful mission to obtain arms for a slave insurrection stirred and divided the nation. Brown was hanged for treason on December 2

The Emancipation Proclamation. l Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation l took effect January 1, 1863 legally freeing slaves in areas of the South in rebellion.

New York City draft riots l Anti-conscription riots started on July 13, 1863 and lasted four days, during which hundreds of black Americans were killed or wounded

Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Volunteers l On July 18, 1863 the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Volunteers -- the all-black unit of the Union army -- charged Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina. Sergeant William H. Carney becomes the first African-American to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery under fire.

13 th Amendment l Outlaws slavery in the United States

Presidential meeting for black suffrage l On February 2, 1866 a black delegation led by Frederick Douglass met with President Andrew Johnson at the White House to advocate black suffrage. The president expressed his opposition, and the meeting ended in controversy.

Civil Rights Act l Congress overrode President Johnson's veto on April 9, 1866 and passed the Civil Rights Act, conferring citizenship upon black Americans and guaranteeing equal rights with whites.

Memphis Massacre l On May 1 -3, 1866 white civilians and police killed forty-six African. Americans and injured many more, burning ninety houses, twelve schools, and four churches in Memphis, Tennessee.

Police Massacre l Police in New Orleans stormed a Republican meeting of blacks and whites on July 30, 1866 killing more than 40 and wounding more than 150.

14 th Amendment l July 21, 1868 granting citizenship to any person born or naturalized in the United States

Massacre in Louisiana l The Opelousas Massacre occurred in Louisiana on September 28, 1868 in which an estimated 200 to 300 black Americans were killed.

Fifteenth Amendment approved. l On February 26, 1869 Congress sent the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution to the states for approval. The amendment would guarantee black Americans the right to vote.

Civil Rights Act of 1875 l Congress approved the Civil Rights Act on March 1, guaranteeing equal rights to black Americans in public accommodations and jury duty. The legislation was invalidated by the Supreme Court in 1883.

Race Riots in 1876 l. A summer of race riots and terrorism directed at blacks occurred in South Carolina. President Grant sent federal troops to restore order.

A white supremacist is elected l Populist "Pitchfork Ben" Tillman was elected governor of South Carolina. He called his election "a triumph of. . . white supremacy. "

Plessy vs. Ferguson l The Supreme Court decided on May 18, 1896 in Plessy v. Ferguson that "separate but equal" facilities satisfy Fourteenth Amendment guarantees, thus giving legal sanction to Jim Crow segregation laws.

The Spanish-American War l began on April 21, 1898. Sixteen regiments of black volunteers were recruited; four saw combat. Five black Americans won Congressional Medals of Honor.

CORE l. In 1942 Congress of Racial Equality founded to fight for civil rights using nonviolent, directaction protests

NAACP l National Association for the Advancement of Colored People formed to fight for civil rights through legal action and education

1948 l President Harry Truman ends segregation in the U. S. military

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka l l In the 1950 s, school segregation was widely accepted throughout the nation. In fact, it was required by law in most southern states. the Supreme Court overturns the principle of "separate but equal"

Montgomery Bus Boycott l Rosa Parks, a 43 year old black seamstress, was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man.

Montgomery Bus Boycott l The following night, fifty leaders of the Negro community met to discuss the issue. The leaders organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The Supreme Court decided, based on the school segregation cases, that bus segregation violated the constitution.

Little Rock, Arkansas l 1957 - President Dwight Eisenhower sends U. S. Army troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce the desegregation of schools

Sit-ins l College students, both black and white, and students across the nation were inspired to launch similar protests.

SIT-INS l 1960 Sit-in at the F. W. Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, February 1, 1960

SIT-INS l 1960 Hundreds of university students stage a sit-in at downtown stores in Nashville, Tennessee, to protest segregated lunch counters

Freedom Rides l In 1961, bus loads of people waged a crosscountry campaign to try to end the segregation of bus terminals. The nonviolent protest, however, was brutally received at many stops along the way.

University of Mississippi Riot l President Kennedy ordered Federal Marshals to escort James Meredith, the first black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi, to campus. A riot broke out and before the National Guard could arrive to reinforce the marshals, two students were killed.

1963 Birmingham l Birmingham, Alabama was one of the most severely segregated cities in the 1960 s. Black men and women held sit-ins at lunch counters where they were refused service, and "kneel-ins" on church steps where they were denied entrance. Hundreds of demonstrators were fined and imprisoned. In 1963, Dr. King, the Reverend Abernathy and the Reverend Shuttlesworth lead a protest march in Birmingham. The protestors were met with policemen and dogs. The three ministers were arrested and taken to Southside Jail.

March on Washington two hundred thousand civil rights marchers l "I Have a Dream"Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. l

Bloody Sunday l 1965 Selma, AL l Outraged over the killing of a demonstrator by a state trooper in Marion, Alabama, the black community of Marion decided to hold a march. Martin Luther King agreed to lead the marchers on Sunday, March 7, from Selma to Montgomery, the state capital, where they would appeal directly to governor Wallace to stop police brutality.

Bloody Sunday l 1965 Selma, AL

Bloody Sunday l 1965 Selma, AL

Bloody Sunday l The bridge

Malcolm X

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