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Dutch ship brings 20 Africans ashore at the British colony of Jamestown, Virginia. This is the first report of African slaves being brought to the New World, marking the beginning of African American slavery in America. -
In 1676, enslaved blacks and white servants joined together, led by Nathaniel Bacon, to rebel against Colonel Governor William Berkeley after he decided not to drive out the Native Americans from Virginia. -
The colonies went to war against British rule and ultimately won the war and their freedom. African Americans, both free and enslaved, fought on both sides of the war hoping to earn their freedom through fighting. -
Vermont becomes the first Northern State to completely abolish slavery under their new Constitution, stating all men are born equally free and independent.
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A series of stops that escaped enslaved African Americans used to escape to Northern States and parts of Canada where slavery was mostly abolished. A group called the Quakers assisted many slaves escape North to freedom despite the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.
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Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, allowing the recapture and return of runaway enslaved persons in the United States, even if they were in free territory. Threatened the lives of both enslaved and freed African Americans in America. -
The Reconstruction is referred to as the period following the Civil War, where the government worked to integrate millions of free slaves into American society.
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In 1861, Civil War erupted between the Union (North) and the Confederacy (South) due to differences in opinion relating to slavery in America. African Americans (both enslaved and free) fought in the Civil War in hopes to prove their equality and fight for the freedom of slaves. -
President Abraham Lincoln signs and incorporates the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all persons held as slaves are, and henceforward shall be freed. -
Black codes were incorporated, mostly in the South, in order to restrict the rights and freedoms of African Americans as much as possible.
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Congress passes the 13th Amendment, officially ruling slavery as illegal in any form in the United States. -
An extremist white supremacist called the Ku Klux Klan is founded, who focus on fighting against the rights of African Americans. They use means of violence, such as lynching and murder against innocent free African Americans, resulting in African Americans living their newly free lives in fear.
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Congress passes the 14th Amendment, granting citizenship to all persons "born or naturalized in the United States" including formerly enslaved people. -
Congress passes the 15th Amendment, granting African American men the right to vote. -
The first of the Jim Crow Laws were passed in 1871, legalizing racial segregation. -
A court ruling where the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Louisiana law that allowed for "equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races." -
W.E.B Dubois becomes the first African American to receive a PhD from Harvard University. -
W.E.B Dubois founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or the NAACP; goals included the abolition of all forced segregation, enforcement of the 14th and 15th amendments, and equal education and job opportunities for both white and black citizens. -
The United States experiences the longest and deepest downturn in its history. Many Americans faced extreme levels of unemployment and poverty. African Americans experience even more limited opportunities than ever before. -
World War II begins between the Allied and Axis Powers. African Americans are required to fight in all-black units due to the military being segregated, but still fought alongside whites.