2. History
First Africans to arrive in America were explorers and settlers
Accompanied European explorers on their journeys to the new world
Revolutionary War
around 5,000 fought for the Continental Army; around 20,000 fought for the British
Colonel Tye – African American soldier who fought with the British
Raided settlements and freed slaves in New York and New Jersey
The Book of Negroes – List of African American Loyalists who fled the United States with the British
after the Revolutionary War
3. History
Slave Trade
Jamestown, VA – birthplace of American slavery
Invention of the cotton gin helped expand the slave
trade
Cotton required a large number of workers
Foreign slave trade was ended by Congress in 1807,
but allowed to continue in the South
4. History
Nat Turner’s Rebellion
Took place in Virginia on August 21, 1831
Attacked plantations, freeing slaves and killing 56 whites before
being defeated
Turner was executed November 11, 1831 along with 56 other
slaves
Led to laws prohibiting education of blacks, prohibiting assembly,
loss of civil rights of free blacks
5. History
Dred Scot v. Sandford
Scott sued for his freedom since he and his wife lived in an area of the U.S.
that slavery was illegal
Court proceedings began in 1847, where Scot lost but was allowed a second
trial and was declared free
Case was appealed to the Missouri State Supreme Court in 1852, which
reversed the ruling and made Scot a slave again.
In 1854, Scot filed suit again and appealed to the Supreme Court after once
again losing the case for his and his wife’s freedom
Supreme Court ultimately ruled that Scot and his wife were property and were
slaves
Ultimately, this decision accelerated the beginning of the Civil War
6. History
Abolitionists
Person who wanted to end slavery; included both whites and blacks
Worked to end slavery and helped free slaves from their owners
Underground railroad – helped escaped slaves flee to the North and into Canada
Famous African American abolitionist:
David Walker – published his Appeal denouncing slavery
Frederick Douglass – Escaped slave who spoke out against slavery; published the
North Star
Sojourner Truth – also spoke out for women’s rights and equality
Harriet Tubman – one of the leaders of the Underground Railroad
7. History
The Emancipation Proclamation (January 1, 1863)
Abraham Lincoln granted freedom to all slaves living in the Confederate States of
America
Allowed the use of African American regiments in the Union Army and Navy
African Americans had to prove their bravery
1st Kansas Colored Volunteers
Battle of Port Hudson, Louisiana
Battle of Fort Wagner, South Carolina
Thirteenth Amendment (1865) – banned slavery in the United States
Fourteenth Amendment (1868) – recognized African Americans as citizens
of the United States
Fifteenth Amendment (1870) – gave African American men the right to
vote
8. History
Jim Crow Laws
Anti-African American laws
Separated African Americans and whites in education, public facilities, and
transportation
Prevented African Americans from voting by requiring property ownership or payment
of a poll tax, which many African Americans could not afford
Plessy v. Ferguson – “separate but equal”
The Great Migration
Around 2 million African Americans moved from the South to other parts of the United
States to escape racism
Racism still led to separate communities of African Americans forming within cities,
such as Harlem
9. History
The Civil Rights Movement
Rosa Parks – refused to give up her seat to a white man
Led to a boycott of the bus system by African Americans
Civil Rights Act of 1964 – made segregation of public facilities illegal
National Voting Rights Act of 1965 – made illegal any discrimination against African Americans
right to vote
African Americans continued to fight for equality for many more years
10. Cultural Background
Music
Began with work songs and spirituals
During the Harlem Renaissance, other music such as Jazz and the Blues became
popular and began to spread around the world
Rock and Roll was influenced by African American culture and the blues, allowing
famous artists like James Brown to become famous
Soul music would become popular, leading to the success of such musicians as Ray
Charles, the Jackson 5 and the Supremes
More recently, rap and rhythm and blues has become a popular form of music for
African Americans, with such artists as LL Cool J, Prince, Michael Jackson, and many
others gaining fame
11. Cultural Background
Art
Early African American artists created art in the classical or romantic style
The Harmon Foundation – promoted the work of African American artists
The Harlem Renaissance
Opened the door for African American artists, musicians, and writers to freely express themselves
Allowed African Americans to freely express how they felt about being an African American in
that time period
Literature
Grew out of folktales and stories told by early African Americans
Slaves did not know how to read or write during their early time in America
12. Athletics
Many African American athletes broke racial barriers in athletics while other African
Americans were fighting for civil rights
In 1920, Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall were the first African American players in the National
Football League
In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play Major League Baseball
Before, African Americans had to play in the Negro Leagues, which were formed in 1920
In 1948, Don Barksdale won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. Olympic basketball team, and
in 1950, Chuck Cooper and Sweetwater Clifton joined the National Basketball Association
Muhammad Ali famously opposed the Vietnam War, making him famous amongst all races within
the United States
Today, such athletes as LeBron James, Serena Williams, Andrew McCutchen, and Russell
Wilson proudly represent African Americans in athletic endeavors, while players such as
Michael Jordan, Ray Lewis, and many others are considered greats in the sports they
played
13. The Arts
Harlem Renaissance
African Americans wanted to change what it meant to be black
Perceived as being an uneducated, inferior group of people
Began during the first Great Migration, or the urbanization of African Americans from the largely
rural South due to Jim Crow laws
1925 - The New Negro
Included poetry, short stories and essays that evaluated the state of African American art, music, and the
economy
Noticeably lacked topics concerning religion; more scientific in nature
Included literature, art, music, drama, painting, sculpture, movies, and protests
Creation of Jazz and famous African American musicians such as Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Billie
Holiday, and Miles Davis
15. Religion
African religions have had some influences on African American religion, such as the call
and response pattern used by many African American preachers
It’s believed that some of the first all African American churches were formed in part to
protest slavery and discrimination
Early on many of these churches were Baptist or Methodist
Church communities played a large part in the movement to other parts of the United
States from the South during the first Great Migration
Throughout the Civil Rights Era, churches played a part in allowing African Americans a
place to cope with the discriminations they were facing
Many churches also organized protests, be it peaceful or otherwise
Churches function as the center of social life in the African American community, along
with providing an ethnic identity and cultural expression
16. African American Civil Rights Leaders
Booker T. Washington – Civil rights leader, founded the Tuskegee Institute to educate
African Americans; famous for his “Atlanta Compromise” speech calling for whites and
African Americans to live and work together
Al Sharpton – Baptist minister and civil rights activist
Martin Luther King – Civil rights leader, led non-violent protests of civil rights offences
against African Americans; Famous of his “I Have A Dream” speech in Washington, D.C.;
Was assassinated April 4, 1968
W.E.B. Dubois – helped form the NAACP, which helps to promote civil rights for African
Americans
Malcom X – Muslim minister and human rights activist
Jesse Jackson – Civil rights and political leader
17. African American Politicians
1870 – Hiram Revels becomes first African American to be seated in the U.S.
Senate
1870 – Joseph Hayne Rainey become first African American elected to the U.S.
House of Representatives
1872 – Victoria Woodhull becomes first African American presidential candidate
1874 – Blanche Kelso Bruce becomes first African American elected to a full U.S.
Senate term
1968 – Shirley Chisholm becomes first African American woman elected to the
House of Representatives; would become first African American from a major
political party to be a presidential candidate
1989 - L. Douglas Wilder becomes first African American governor in the United
States
18. African American Politicians
1992 – Carol Moseley Braun becomes first African American female
elected to the U.S. Senate
2008 – Barak Obama become the first African American elected
president of the United States
20. References
African-American abolitionists. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from
http://www.ushistory.org/us/28b.asp
Black history in america: Learn all about the rich history of black america. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1,
2015, from http://www.myblackhistory.net/history.htm
Harriss, M. (2013). From harlem renaissance to harlem apocalypse: Just representations and the
epistemology of race in the “negro novel”. The Journal of Religion, 93(3), 259-290.
Howe, W.A., & Lisi, P.L. (2014). Becoming a multicultural educator: Developing awareness, gaining skills,
and taking action. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Swatos, W. (1998). African american religious experience. In Encyclopedia of religion and society.
Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.
Top ten abolitionists. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.slideshare.net/MissWilber/top-ten-
abolitionists
