OUR NATION CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Black History Month is celebrated in February.

We are asked to remember the many African-Americans in our country who struggled for “civil rights.”

The Fight for Freedom 1700’s

• During the 1700’s the Black slave trade was centered in New England

• Many states pass laws prohibiting slaves from voting, owning land, and even learning to read.

• The abolitionist movement begins.

Crispus AttucksDid you know?

In 1770, Crispus Attucks, a runaway slave was the first American killed in the Boston Massacre- a battle between the British and the colonists.

In 1776- the Second Continental Congress banned the importation of slaves- but it continued ILLEGALLY!

So- what was a slave to do?

Some, like Elizabeth “Mum Bett” Freeman, sued. She successfully sued for her freedom in 1780- stating that the law said “ all men were created equal”

Some, like Denmark Vesey, organized a rebellion and were killed.

So- what was a slave to do?

Still others simply escaped into the “free” states. Henry Brown escaped slavery by climbing into a

box and shipping himself from Virginia to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Road to RightsIn 1863, when President Lincoln freed the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation, many states began to pass laws limiting the rights of black people.

Important figures of the 1800’s

Sojourner Truth worked as a women’s rights activist in New York and other states in the early 1800’s. She began her work with groups designed to assist all women and was a speaker all over the country speaking for women’s rights.

Harriet Tubman was another slave who worked to free slaves.  She ran away and helped other slaves escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad.

Frederick Douglass started his own newspaper called the North Star, in which he wrote against slavery. Frederick Douglass continued to travel around the country giving speeches about how he was a slave and what it was like for him growing up. He tried to convince his listeners to fight against the evils of slavery.

Change without Violence

A growing number of people also used non-violence protests to persuade other citizens that

civil rights were important to everyone. The most famous among this group was Dr. Martin Luther

King Jr.

Change without Violence

In 1960, four students from the North Carolina Agriculture and Technical College sat-in at a

Greensboro restaurant where laws kept them from eating. That sit-in sparked the formation of the

Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and many other protests.

Change without Violence

Rosa Parks was arrested for sitting in the wrong part of the bus!  She

worked with civil rights organizations to start the

Montgomery Bus Boycott and help end segregation on buses

in the South.

Soon African American’s were riding in segregated buses and defying other laws they thought were bad.

Change without Violence

In 1963, more than 250,000 people marched on Washington, D.C., to push for civil rights. Dr. King gave his most famous speech at this event. Dr. King later was assassinated in 1968.

The Sixties Struggle

The civil rights movement of the 1960’s took many forms. Some groups, like the Black Panthers urged blacks to rely on themselves. Others, such as Malcolm X advocated equality by any means necessary.

Enduring Impact

Everyone now recognizes the effect of the African-American struggle for civil rights. It has inspired similar efforts among Latinos,

Native Americans, the elderly, and women.