Slavery (17th and 18th Century)
Slavery began in the United States in the early 17th century and continued through the 18th century. The first Africans (about 20 people) were brought to the North American Colony of Jamestown by a Dutch ship in August of 1619 (History Channel). These early Europeans who settled here in America turned to African slaves as a cheaper, more plentiful labor source than indentured servants (who were mostly poorer Europeans) (History Channel). These slaves mainly worked on rice, tobacco and indigo plantations. Slaves did not have any rights and had to work in harsh conditions without pay and were severely punished if they didn't obey their master.Though it is impossible to give accurate figures, some historians have estimated that 6 to 7 million slaves were imported to the New World during the 18th century alone, depriving the African continent of some of its healthiest and ablest men and women (History Channel).
cIVIL WAR (1861-1865)
The United States Civil War began as an effort to save the Union, and ended in a fight to abolish slavery (Beaver). The slaves did contribute significantly to their own freedom by running from masters to become contrabands for the Union, laboring behind the scenes for Northern armies, and by risking their lives on the battlefront. The slaves centralized the issue of freedom and played a key role in the North's victory (Beaver). Before the Civil War broke out in 1861, there were an estimated almost four million slaves in the United States, and just under 500,000 free African Americans. Combined they comprised about 14 percent of the country’s population. Of these 4.5 million, some 180,000 African Americans served in 163 units for the Union army as well as surely thousands more in the Navy ("The importance of," 2013). However, while only one percent of all African Americans in the United States resided in the North, slaves and freedmen only began serving the Confederate Army in 1865, and did so to a far lesser degree than in the North ("The importance of," 2013).
pOST-CIVIL WAR/RECONSTRUCTION ERA (1865-1877)
Abraham Lincoln started planning for the reconstruction of the South during the Civil War as Union soldiers occupied huge areas of the South. He wanted to bring the Nation back together as quickly as possible and in December 1863 he offered his plan for Reconstruction which required that the States new constitutions prohibit slavery ("Reconstruction era: 1865 - 1877,"). In January 1865, Congress proposed an amendment to the Constitution which would abolish slavery in the United States. On December 18, 1865, Congress ratified the Thirteenth Amendment formally abolishing slavery ("Reconstruction era: 1865 - 1877,").
CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT (1954-1971)
The American civil rights movement was a mass protest movement against racial segregation and discrimination in the southern United States, that came to national prominence during the mid-1950s (Clayborne Carson). This movement came along after century long efforts of the African slaves to resist racial oppression and to abolish slavery.Through nonviolent protest, the civil rights movement broke the pattern of public facilities’ being segregated by "race" in the South (Clayborne Carson). Many leaders from within the African American community and beyond rose to prominence during the Civil Rights era, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Andrew Goodman and others. They risked—and sometimes lost—their lives in the name of freedom and equality (Clayborne).
MODERN DAY
In 1972 the Equal Employment Opportunity Act is passed, prohibiting job discrimination on the basis of, among other things, race, and laying the groundwork for affirmative action (Owen). Some other notable modern day advancements for African Americans include:
- Alex Haley receives a special Pulitzer Prize for his novel Roots. The next year, made into a mini-series, Roots will be one of the most popular shows in the history of television in 1976.
- Alice Walker's novel The Color Purple wins the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1983.
- In 1983 Astronaut Guion "Guy" S. Bluford, Jr., become the first African American in space, flying aboard the space shuttle Challenger.
- In 1986 Martin Luther Kings Jr.'s birthday is made into a national holiday.
- Oprah Winfrey, the first African American woman to host a nationally syndicated (and wildly popular) talk show, founds Harpo Productions to produce her own movies and TV shows. In 2000, Forbes magazine will estimate Winfrey's earnings at $150 million in 1989.
- In 1991, The Civil Rights Act of 1991 makes it easier for employees to sue their employers for job discrimination.
- Author Toni Morrison is the first African American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.
- In 1997, Tiger Woods becomes the first African American to win the Masters tournament, as well as the youngest golfer ever to do so.
- In 2001, General Colin L. Powell is appointed Secretary of State by President George W. Bush.