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Arrival of the First Enslaved Africans
Event Description: The first enslaved Africans were brought to the English colony of Virginia in 1619 and started the slave trade. Significance: Marked the beginning of African American presence in the United States. Key Players: Enslaved Africans, English settlers, and Dutch Traders. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Event Description: 16th president, Abraham Lincoln issued the document declaring freedom for the enslaved in the Confederate states after the Civil War. Significance: It was a huge step towards equality and a key step in abolishing slavery. Key Players: Abraham Lincoln, Enslaved people, Fredrick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman. -
13th Amendment
Event Description: The 13th Amendment formally and officially abolished slavery throughout the United States. Significance: It legally ended slavery and was an important milestone in African American history. Key Players: Andrew Johnson, Abraham Lincoln, and U.S. Congress. -
The Great Migration
Event Description: Millions of African Americans moved from rural South to more urban centers located in the North and West of the United States. Date and Time: 1910-1970 Significance: This led to major shifts in culture in American society. Key Players: African American families, Jackie Robinson, Bill Russell, and John Coltrane. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Event Description: A Supreme Court case that ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Significance: Helped pave the way for desegregation in public spaces along with civil rights reforms. Key Players: Thurgood Marshall, NAACP, and Chief Justice Earl Warren. -
Civil Rights Act
Event Description: A legislation that prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Significance: Progressive turning point for the fight of civil rights in the United States. Key Players: Lyndon B. Johnson, Congress, Martin Luther King Jr., and Protesters. -
Voting Rights Act
Event Description: Ended racial discrimination relating to voting rights. Significance: Ensured that African Americans could exercise their right to vote. Key Players: Lyndon B. Johnson, Civil Rights Activists, and Congress. -
The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Event Description: MLK was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. He was an important Civil Rights leader in U.S. history. Significance: Was a major loss for the Civil Rights Movement. Key Players: Martin Luther King Jr. and James Earl Ray. -
Shirley Chisholm Ran For President
Event Description: She became the first African American woman to be a part of a major presidential nomination. Significance: She broke racial and gender barriers in U.S. politics. Key Players: Shirley Chisholm. -
President Barack Obama
Event Description: Barack Obama was the first elected African American President of the United States. Significance: A historical milestone in American politics. Key Players: Barack Obama and American Voters.