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First Slaves Brought to North America
The first North American slaves were brought over as 'indentured servants.' Their passage across the Atlantic and subsequent new life was paid for by years of labor in an agricultural or domestic setting. -
Bacon's Rebellion
Poor whites and former slaves united against the colonial government to protest Native American encroachment--a sign that blacks and whites can unite for a common cause. -
Compromise of 1850
This compromise guaranteed the illegality of slavery in California and other western states while establishing popular sovereignty in the newly captured territories of New Mexico and Arizona. It also placed greater emphasis on the Fugitive Slave Law, which forced Northerners to help Southerners capture runaway slaves. Finally, the compromise ended slavery in Washington D.C. -
Black Codes
In the United States, the Black Codes were laws passed by Southern states in 1865 and 1866, after the Civil War. These laws had the intent and the effect of restricting African Americans' freedom, and of compelling them to work in a labor economy based on low wages or debt. -
Thirteenth Amendment
This constitutional amendment prohibited slavery in the United States which was a major step for abolitionists. -
Ku Klux Klan Founded
The KKK was initially founded to terrorize African Americans from voting. They continued throughout the 20th century and expanded their hate group to Catholics, Jews, homosexuals, and others. -
Fourteenth Amendment
The amendment addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws, and was proposed in response to issues related to former slaves following the American Civil War -
Fifteenth Amendment
The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's race, color, or previous condition of servitude. -
Jim Crow Laws
The Jim Crow laws were racial segregation laws enacted between 1876 and 1965 in the United States at the state and local level. Some examples of Jim Crow laws are the segregation of public schools, public places, and public transportation, and the segregation of restrooms, restaurants, and drinking fountains for whites and blacks. The U.S. military was also segregated. Imposed the "separate but equal" philosophy. -
Niagra Falls Conference
The Niagara Falls conference was a meeting of 29 men on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls from July 11 until 14 July 1905. It was the first meeting of The Niagara Movement, a group of African-Americans, led by W. E. B. Du Bois, John Hope, and William Monroe Trotter. Crucial in forming the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. -
Brown vs Board of Education
The Supreme Court descision decreed that the concept of "separate but equal" was unfair and authorized integration of public places throughout the nation. The case was named after Oliver Brown, an African American man whose daughter Linda faced a long commute to school every day -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks refuses to move from her bus seat for a white person and is arrested. This sparks outrage in the Montgomery communited as blacks boycott the bus system for more than a year to show their determination. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act outlawed major forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic, national and religious minorities, and women in society. This is a major step for the Civil Rights Movement.