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First Black Captives Arrive in British North America
By 1619, 32 people of African descent are living at Jamestown, Virginia; having arrived on a Dutch warship, they were traded to the British by its captain in exchange for provisions. The Africans are regarded as “unfree” but not slaves, with the potential to work off their purchase price and regain their freedom. -
Olaudah Equiano Born
Born circa 1745 in West Africa, Olaudah Equiano authored The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African, a vivid account of his capture, sale to traders, and voyage to America. A bestseller, this memoir was one of the first widely read slave narratives. -
Three-fifths Compromise
Proposed by James Madison, the Three-Fifths Clause of the U.S. Constitution grants slaveowners enormous political power by decreeing that a slave be counted as three-fifths of a free person in determining a state's representation in Congress and the Electoral College and three-fifths of a free person in regard to per capita taxes levied by Congress on the states. -
Eli Whitney Granted Patent for Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin makes the cultivation of cotton profitable on the North American mainland, enabling the rapid and extensive expansion of slavery from the Atlantic coast to Texas. -
Nat Turner’s Revolt
Leading between 60 and 70 rebels, Nat Turner begins his uprising on the evening of 21 August 1831. They travel from house to house, killing 57 white people — men, women, and children. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
In 1875, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that Black people are not citizens, possess no constitutional rights, and are considered to be property. -
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
The failed raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia by radical abolitionist John Brown inflames controversy over slavery in the North and South — increased tensions culminate in civil war and emancipation. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Issued by President Abraham Lincoln, the Emancipation Proclamation frees all slaves in areas of the Confederacy not under Union control, permanently linking abolitionism with the Union war effort and heralding the ultimate end of slavery in the United States. -
Thirteenth Amendment Ratified
Ratified in December 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitutions bans slavery and involuntary servitude. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
In 1896, in an 8-to-1 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that segregation does not violate the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment; this "separate but equal" doctrine remains the supreme law of the land until overturned by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. -
NAACP Founded
Founded on Lincoln’s birthday, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is now the nation's largest and most widely recognized civil rights organization. Its aggressive campaign for civil and political rights superseded Booker T. Washington's strategy of progress through conciliation and accommodation. -
Tulsa Race Riot
During the Tulsa Race Massacre, which occurs from May 31 to June 1, 1921, a white mob attacks residents, homes, and businesses in the predominantly Black Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma. To this day, the event remains one of the worst incidents of racial violence in U.S. history. -
Brown v. Board of Education
In this landmark decision, the Supreme Court rules that separating children in public schools on the basis of race is unconstitutional, signaling the end of legalized racial segregation in the schools of the United States and overruling the "separate but equal" principle set forth in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case. -
The Lynching of Emmett Till
Unwilling to let America ignore the brutal lynching of her son, Mamie Bradly has Emmett Till’s mangled body displayed in an open casket in Chicago. Thousands of mourners pay their respects, with many dedicating themselves to fight the unjust system that made this crime possible. -
Rosa Parks Arrested for Violating Bus Segregation Laws in Alabama
On 1 December 1955, Rosa Parks, a 43-year-old department store seamstress and civil rights activist, boards a city bus and moves to the segregated section in the back. All seats are taken, so she sits in one toward the middle of the bus. When a white man boards the bus, the driver orders Parks to vacate her seat for him. However, Parks refuses to move, thus launching the Montgomery Bus Boycott and inspiring the modern civil rights struggle for freedom and equality. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Serving as the nation’s benchmark civil rights legislation, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Initially proposed by President John Kennedy, it was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson following the former’s assassination. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
Following his break with the Nation of Islam, Malcom X is killed by assassins associated with the organization on 14 February 1965 while addressing an audience in Harlem. -
MLK Assassinated
While in Memphis, Tennessee to support striking sanitation workers, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is murdered by James Earl Ray as he stands on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. As a result, civil unrest and uprisings spread throughout more than 125 cities. -
Rodney King Riots
The brutal beating of Rodney Glen King by Los Angeles police and subsequent acquittal of the officers involved sparks protests throughout south-central Los Angeles. 52 people are killed in the unrest. -
First Inauguration of Barack Obama
After defeating Arizona Senator John McCain in the general election, Barack Obama places his hand on Abraham Lincoln’s bible and takes the oath of office, becoming the first Black president of the United States of America.