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Black History - Dates to Remember

Black History - Dates to Remember

by Joe · 130 things on Twos

Thomas Paine Publishes Anti-Slavery Tract, 1775
On April 14, 1775, the first anti-slavery society in America was formed in Philadelphia. Paine was a founding member.
Declaration of Independence, 1776
A passage by Thomas Jefferson condemning the slave trade is removed from the Declaration of Independence due to pressure from the southern colonies.
Revolutionary War, 1775-1782
Blacks fought for both the British and the American side during the Revolutionary War, depending on who was offering freedom for doing so.
Massachusetts Grants African-Americans Right to Vote, 1780
The first state to do so
Northwest Ordinance, 1787
The Northwest Ordinance forbade slavery in the Northwest Territory, where the future state of Michigan would be created.
U.S. Constitution Adopted, 1789
Slaves counted as three-fifths of a person for means of representation.
Frederick Douglass, 1818-1895
In 1845 publishes Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself, one of the enduring classics of American literature.
Harriet Tubman, c.1820–March 10, 1913
The most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad. Having escaped slavery herself, she returned time and time again to rescue family and friends in Maryland between 1849 and the outbreak of the Civil War.
The Compromise of 1850
Provided for slavery to be decided by popular sovereignty in the admission of new states, prohibited the slave trade in the District of Columbia, settled a Texas boundary dispute, and established a stricter fugitive slave act.
Uncle Tom's Cabin Published, 1851-1852
Cabin sells 300,000 copies and is credited with shaping perceptions leading to the Civil War.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854
As a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the United States moved closer to Civil War.
Dred Scott v Sanford, 1857
In 1846 a slave named Dred Scott and his wife, Harriet sued for their freedom in a St. Louis city court.
The opinion also stated that Congress had no authority to ban slavery from a Federal territory.
This decision moved the nation a step closer to Civil War.
Last Known Slave Ship Arrives in United States, 1859.
The vessel was laden with human cargo in violation of the ban on the international slave trade.
To avoid being arrested by the federal authorities, Captain Foster hid his African captives ashore and set fire to the ship.
The Emancipation Proclamation, 1862 & 1863
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emanicipation Proclamation in the midst of the Civil War, announcing on September 22, 1862, that if the rebels did not end the fighting and rejoin the Union by January 1, 1863, all slaves in the rebellious states would be free.
13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865)
Passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865, the 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States.
1866 Civil Rights Act
Granted citizenship and the same rights enjoyed by white citizens to all male persons in the United States "without distinction of race or color, or previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude."
14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Civil Rights (July 9, 1868)
Passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868, the 14th amendment extended liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to former slaves.
15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Voting Rights (1870)
Passed by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870, the 15th amendment granted African American men the right to vote.
First Jim Crow Segregation Law Passed, 1871
Tennessee passes the first of the "Jim Crow" segregation laws, segregating state railroads.
Other Southern states pass similar laws over the next 15 years.
Civil Rights Act of 1875
“That all persons...shall be entitled to the full and equal and enjoyment...applicable alike to citizens of every race and color, regardless of any previous condition of servitude.”
First Poll Tax Passed, 1890
Mississippi enacts a poll tax, which most African Americans cannot afford to pay, to try to keep blacks from voting.
Ida B. Wells Launches Her Anti-Lynching Crusade, 1892
African American journalist Ida B. Wells begins a crusade to investigate the lynchings of African Americans after three of her friends are lynched in Tennessee.
Plessy v. Ferguson (May 18, 1896)
The ruling in this Supreme Court case upheld a Louisiana state law that allowed for "equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races."
Louisiana Disenfranchizes All African Americans, 1898
Louisiana passes limits the right to vote to anyone whose fathers and grandfathers were qualified on January 1, 1867.
No African Americans qualified.
NAACP Established (1909)
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, formed in 1909.
"To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination".
Great Migration Begins, 1910-1920
Looking for better opportunities, massive numbers of African Americans move north to seek employment in factories.
First African American Pilot, March 1912
Emory Malick wins pilot's license.
Harriet Tubman Dies, March 10, 1913
Born into slavery, Harriet Tubman served as a "conductor with the Underground Railroad" leading countless slaves to freedom.
World War I, 1918
Du Bois calls on African Americans to serve in World War I to help build a case for citizenship.
Red Summer Race Riots, 1919
Scores of race riots across the country leave at least 100 people dead.
Jesse Owens Wins Four Gold Medals at Berlin Olympics, August 1936
On August 3, 1936, at the Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany, Jesse Owens won the 100-meter sprint, capturing his first of four gold medals.
Breaking the Color Line in Baseball, April 15, 1947
Robinson became the first African American in the twentieth century to play baseball in the major leagues — breaking the “color line,” a segregation practice dating to the nineteenth century.
Executive Order 9981: Desegregation of the Armed Forces (1948).
On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed this executive order committing the government to integrate the segregated military.
Brown v Board of Education (May 17, 1954)
In this milestone decision, the Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional.
Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, December 1955
A political and social protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama
Desegregation of Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas (1957)
Truman sent Federal troops to maintain order and peace while the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, AR, took place.
Civil Rights Act Passes Congress (1957)
August 29, 1957, the Senate gave final congressional approval to a Civil Rights Act after South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond (then a Democrat) ended a filibuster that had lasted 24 hours.
Greensboro Woolworth Sit-In, 1960
Ezell Blair, Jr., David Richmond, Joseph McNeil, and Franklin McCain sat down at the lunch counter at the local F.W. Woolworth store and ordered coffee and cherry pie.
This simple act was extremely bold for the times.
The Greensboro sit-in is credited with re-igniting the civil rights movement in America, transforming the older generation's don't-rock-the-boat tactics to a more militant, protest-based platform.
Freedom Riders Fight Segregation Across South, 1961
The Freedom Riders bravely entered segregated terminals, waiting rooms, restrooms, and restaurants. They were met with harassment, violence, and even arrest.
Birmingham Campaign and Church Bombing, 1963
On Sunday morning, Sept. 15, 1963, dynamite planted by the Ku Klux Klan, exploded in the building. Under the fallen debris, the bodies of four girls were found.
Denise McNair, Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley died because of the color of their skin.
Letter from Birmingham City Jail, 1963
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his famous "Letter from Birmingham City Jail" which later appeared in The Atlantic Monthly (under the title "The Negro Is Your Brother"), addressing a national audience that did not recognize his full rights of equality as a citizen and human being.
August 28, 1963: Martin Luther King Jr. Delivers "I Have a Dream" in Washington, D.C.
Thanks to the Power of TV and radio, Martin Luther King Jr's speech at the end of the March on Washington was broadcast around the world.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964, prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal.
This document was the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction.
Malcolm X Assassinated, 1965
On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated while speaking in New York City.
Bloody Sunday, 1965
The Historic Selma to Montgomery marchers started on March 7, 1965. More than 600 hundred marchers led by the SNCC and SCLC gathered in Selma to march in solidarity.
Police gathered and formed a wall barring the passing of the marchers, after Sheriff Jim Clark called all able-bodied White men to become temporary deputies and assist in enforcement.
When Rev. Williams tried to peacefully reason with the officers, shoving matches ensued and the carnage began: officers fired tear gas into the crowd and began beating the nonviolent protesters with billy clubs.
The aggressive actions of the Alabama police force were televised nationally and around the world, sparking fierce debate and renewed support for the Civil Rights Movement.
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act was signed into law on August 6, 1965, by President Lyndon Johnson.
It outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting.
Thurgood Marshall, 1967
First Black appointed to the United States Supreme Court, August 30, 1967. Spent his entire life battling for civil rights, winning 29 out of 32 Supreme Court Cases before ever serving on the Supreme Court.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Assassinated, 1968
On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot outside of his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
King's assassination precipitated marches and rallies across America and riots erupted in over 100 cities.
President Lyndon B. Johnson declared April 7 an official day of mourning.
King was 38 years old at the time of his death.
Shirley Chisholm, 1968 and 1972
In 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the first African-American woman to serve in the U.S. Congress.
First African-American Astronaut in Space, 1983
On August 30, 1983, the space shuttle Challenger blasted off in the dark from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the first African-American astronaut to go into space.
First Female African-American Astronaut in Space, 1992
On September 12, 1992, Mae Jemison became the first African-American woman to go into space.
Colin Powell, 2001
First African American U.S. Secretary of State.
Oprah Winfrey, 2003
Becomes First African American Female Billionaire, February 27, 2003.
Condoleezza Rice, 2005
First African American Woman Secretary of State.
Barak Obama Election, 2008, and Presidency, 2009-2016
Barack Obama Defied History by becoming the first black president of the United States
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