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Abolitionism and the Underground Railroad
The early abolition movement in North America was fueled both by slaves’ efforts to liberate themselves and by groups of white settlers. In the early 19th century, a new brand of radical abolitionism emerged in the North. One of its most eloquent voices was William Lloyd Garrison, who founded the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator in 1831 and became known as the most radical of America’s antislavery activists. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-milestones -
World War II and Civil Rights
Prior to World War II, most blacks were low-wage farmers, factory workers, domestics or servants. Black men and women served heroically in World War II, despite suffering segregation and discrimination during their deployment. Yet many were met with prejudice and scorn upon returning home. This was a stark contrast to why America had entered the war, to begin with—to defend freedom and democracy in the world. -
Civil Rights Act
Even though all Americans had gained the right to vote, many southern states made it difficult for blacks. They often required them to take voter literacy tests that were confusing, misleading and nearly impossible to pass. Wanting to show a commitment to the civil rights movement and minimize racial tensions in the South, the Eisenhower administration pressured Congress to consider new civil rights legislation. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement -
Woolworth’s Lunch Counter
Blacks experienced blatant prejudice in their daily lives. On February 1960, four college students took a stand against segregation in Greensboro, North Carolina when they refused to leave a Woolworth’s lunch counter without being served. Over the next several days, hundreds of people joined their cause. Some were arrested and charged with trespassing, protestors launched a boycott of all segregated lunch counters until the owners caved. -
March on Washington
Known as one of the most important civil right events in history, March on Washington was organized and attended by civil rights leaders such as A. Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, and Martin Luther King Jr. More than 200,000 people, black and white, congregated in Washington, D. C. for the peaceful march with the main purpose of forcing civil rights legislation and establishing job equality for everyone. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement
