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The Freedmen's Bureau
The Freedmen’s Bureau was a group organized to assist African Americans transitioning from slavery to achieve the rights they had been denied such as land, financial security, education, and political participation. Labor contracts with fair wages were initiated, advancements in the court system, efforts to reunite families separated by slavery, and the promotion of education integration among freed blacks and poor whites. All this in an effort to ease the transition from slavery to freedom. -
Thirteenth Amendment
The 13th Amendment was the official abolishment of slavery in the United States and the first step towards equality for African Americans. Prior to the 13th Amendment, the Emancipation Proclamation had only freed slaves in rebellious states, leaving slaves in border states still captive and doing nothing to further eliminate the institution of slavery. Abraham Lincoln, who was the president at the time, played a vital role in guaranteeing the passage of the amendment through Congress. -
Atlanta Compromise Speech
Booker T. Washington, being the only black American invited, delivered the "Atlanta Compromise" speech at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta to an audience that consisted mostly of white Americans, but it affected all. This forever changed the perception of freed slaves and black Americans. He encouraged attendees to view African Americans as equals emphasizing their helpful, faithful, and forbearing nature by using the analogy of “cast down your bucket where you are”. -
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
The NAACP was used as a platform to advocate for equal rights for freed slaves and African Americans. It was formed in part due to the heinous act of lynching and the hope was that through democratic processes all racial discrimination barriers would be eliminated. Ida B. Wells, one of the founding members, stressed the reason behind her involvement being that “someone must show that the Afro-American race is more sinned against than sinning, and it seems to have fallen upon me to do so”. -
World War I
During WWI 13 percent of the enlisted American military force were African Americans. Some served in direct combat while others were forced to serve in low status or support roles only. In a letter written by James William Alston First Lieutenant of an all-black regiment, he stressed the successes of the African American contribution, emphasizing that his people were doing their part in winning the war, were proving to be very good soldiers and he himself had commanded on the front line. -
The Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance, which took place in New York, was one of the biggest shifts of the United States’ views during a period of racial rediscovery for people of the black community, resulting in a surge of outpouring of art from black musicians, such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong and influential writers, such as Langston Hughes. As a result, African Americans were valued for their cultural pride and talents and the country began to more seriously consider their worth to society.
