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Boston Massacre
Crispus Attacks, 1st American and African American killed in the Revolutionary War, The Crisis, Jan.-Feb. 1999, cover. -
Declaration of Independence
A passage by Thomas Jefferson condemning the slave trade is removed from the Declaration of Independence due to pressure from the southern colonies. -
Slave Freed in Missouri
On Aug. 30, 1861, Union Gen. John C. Fremont instituted martial law in Missouri and declared slaves there to be free. (However, Fremont's emancipation order was countermanded by President Abraham Lincoln). -
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The Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation 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. Since the Confederacy did not respond, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. -
Abolition of Slavery
Passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865, the 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States. -
First Jim Crow Segregation Law Passed
Tennessee passes the first of the "Jim Crow" segregation laws, segregating state railroads. Other Southern states pass similar laws over the next 15 years. -
Harriet Tubman
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. She was nicknamed General Tubman by John Brown and Grandma Moses by others for leading so many slaves out of bondage. She also served as a spy for Union forces during the Civil War. She was awarded full military honors upon her death. -
19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
"The rights of citizens...to vote shall not be denied or abridged...on account of sex." -
Breaking the Color Line in Baseball,
When Jackie Robinson stepped onto Ebbets field on April 15th, 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. Jackie Robinson was an extremely talented multi-sport athlete and a courageous man who played an active role in civil rights. -
Brown v Board of Education
In this milestone decision, the Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional. It signaled the end of legalized racial segregation in the schools of the United States, overruling the "separate but equal" principle set forth in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case. -
Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on the bus to a white person and ends up getting arrested. -
"I Have a Dream"
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. -
Colin Powell
First African American U.S. Secretary of State. -
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Obama Election
Barak Obama is elected as the first African American President of the United States. -
George Floyd Killing
George Floyd, a black man was killed by police which led to many riots and unhappy people.