Celebrate
Black
History
Month
Created by Natalie Walker, Russell Conwell Center, Temple University
Welcome!
Thank you for “attending” the African
American History Month Online Workshop.
There is a lot of great information about
various aspects of African American history
and culture . Please familiarize yourself with
the information provided on this PowerPoint,
the information given through the video and
be prepared to take the quiz afterward.
February is…
Black History Month
In 1915, Dr. Carter G. Woodson and Rev. Jesse E. Moorland co-founded the
Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). Their goal was to
research and bring awareness to the largely ignored, yet crucial role black
people played in American and world history. He also felt the importance of
preserving one’s heritage and, upon his urgings, the fraternity Omega Psi Phi
created Negro History and Literature Week in 1920.
In 1926, Woodson changed the name to Negro History Week. He selected the month of February for the
celebration as a way to honor of the birth of two men whose actions drastically altered the future of black
Americans. Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. President who issued the Emancipation Proclamation was born on February
12th and Frederick Douglass, one of the nation’s leading abolitionists was born on February 14th.
Dr. Carter G. Woodson died in 1950, but his legacy continued on as the celebration of Negro History Week was
adopted by cities and organizations across the country. This observance proved especially important during the
Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, a time when the inhumane and unequal treatment of black people
in America was being challenged and overturned.
The Black Power Movement of the 1970s emphasized racial pride and the significance of collective cultural values.
This prompted the ASNLH, now called the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, to change
Negro History Week to Black History Week. In 1976, they extended the week to a month-long observance.
Black History Month is now recognized and widely celebrated by the entire nation on both a scholarly and
commercial level. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History continues to promote,
preserve and research black history and culture year-round.
In 1619…
The first Africans as slave labor are
introduced in America. A Dutch trader
exchanges his cargo of 20 Africans for
food in Jamestown Virginia, in August
of 1619. It is believed that these
Africans were sold into conditions
similar to indentured servitude - a
common practice in England and
colonial America. The American slavery
system became more developed and
codified in its inhumane treatment
around 1680.
From 1619 to about 1640, Africans
could earn their freedom working
as laborers and artisans for the
European settlers. Africans could
become free people and enjoy
some of the liberties like other
new settlers. By 1640, Maryland
became the first colony to
institutionalize slavery. In 1641,
Massachusetts, in its written
legislative Body of Liberties, stated
that "bondage was legal"
servitude, at that moment
changing the conditions of the
African workers - they became
chattel slaves who could be bought
and solely owned by their masters.
In 1808…
The US bans the import of slaves, but not the
sale and practice of slavery.
In 1846…
•
Frederick Douglass (1818-1895)
launches an abolitionist
newspaper The North Star.
Douglass escaped from slavery in
1838 by posing as a free black
seaman on a train ride to the
north and became an infamous
speaker on the abolitionist lecture
circuit and an important political
figure. He served as president of
the Freedman's Savings Bank
during Reconstruction and
penned his autobiography
"Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass" in 1845.
In 1850…
•
The Underground Railroad is started
by William Still. It is a network of
secret routes, way-stations, safe
havens and meeting points in which
thousands of African-Americans will
escape from slavery in the south.
Some routes on the Underground
Railroad traveled as far north as
Canada and as far south as Mexico.
•
Harriet Tubman (1820 - 1913), born
Araminta Ross escapes from slavery
and becomes one of the most
celebrated and effective leaders of the
Underground Railroad. Harriet
Tubman will guide hundreds of slaves
to freedom before and during the war.
She was never captured while rescuing
slaves and as she was quoted she
"never lost a passenger".
1861-1865
•
The Civil War begins in1861 when South
Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama,
Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas secede from the
Union and form the Confederate States of
America with Jefferson Davis as their
president. Later in the year Arkansas,
Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia join
them. Virginia was divided up - with the
eastern portion seceding to the Confederacy
and West Virginia remaining with the Union. It
is the bloodiest war in American history, being
fought entirely on American soil and resulting
in the death of about 600,000.
•
Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation
Proclamation, a presidential order declaring
the freedom of the slaves and makes the end
of slavery a major goal of the Civil War.
•
In 1865 the Civil War ends and the 13th
Amendment to the Constitution abolishes
slavery.
1866-1875
•
1866: the Civil Rights Act sought to
protect freedmen and grant full
citizenship to those born on U.S. soil,
except Indians.
•
1868: the 14th Amendment to the
Constitution grants citizenship to
former slaves.
•
1870: the 15th Amendment to the
Constitution prohibits states from
denying the right to vote because of
race.
In 1909…
•
The National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People,
NAACP, is founded by W.E.B Dubois,
Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Henry Moscowitz
, Mary White Ovington, Oswald
Garrison Villard, and William English
Walling as an interracial organization
"to promote equality of rights and to
eradicate caste or race prejudice
among the citizens of the United
States; to advance the interest of
colored citizens; to secure for them
impartial suffrage; and to increase
their opportunities for securing justice
in the courts, education for the
children, employment according to
their ability and complete equality
before law."
The Civil Rights Movement
•
The African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968) refers to the reform movements
in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and
restoring Suffrage in Southern states. By 1966, the emergence of the Black Power Movement,
which lasted roughly from 1966 to 1975, enlarged the aims of the Civil Rights Movement to
include racial dignity, economic and political self-sufficiency, and freedom from oppression by
whites.
•
Many of those who were active in the Civil Rights Movement, with organizations such as
NAACP, SNCC, CORE and SCLC, prefer the term "Southern Freedom Movement" because the
struggle was about far more than just civil rights under law; it was also about fundamental
issues of freedom, respect, dignity, and economic and social equality.
The Civil Rights Movement
During the period 1955–1968, acts of nonviolent protest and civil disobedience
produced crisis situations between activists and government authorities. Federal,
state, and local governments, businesses, educational institutions, and
communities often had to respond immediately to crisis situations which
highlighted the inequities faced by African Americans.
Forms of protest and/or civil
disobedience included boycotts
such as the successful Montgomery
Bus Boycott (1955–1956) in
Alabama; "sit-ins" such as the
influential Greensboro sit-in (1960)
in North Carolina; marches, such as
the Selma to Montgomery marches
(1965) in Alabama; and a wide
range of other nonviolent activities.
Black Power Movement
The Black Power movement grew out of the
CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT that had steadily
gained momentum through the 1950s and
1960s. Although not a formal movement, the
Black Power movement marked a turning point
in black-white relations in the United States
and also in how blacks saw themselves. The
movement was hailed by some as a positive
and proactive force aimed at helping blacks
achieve full equality with whites, but it was
reviled by others as a militant, sometimes
violent faction whose primary goal was to drive
a wedge between whites and blacks. In truth,
the Black Power movement was a complex
event that took place at a time when society
and culture was being transformed throughout
the United States, and its legacy reflects that
complexity.
Million Man March
The Million Man March,
organized by Louis Farrakhan
in 1995, brought together
thousands of AfricanAmericans to the National
Mall in Washington, D.C. for
a day of unity and a show of
strength of character.
Despite the name, women
are present both in the
crowd and on the podium,
including civil rights pioneer
Rosa Parks.
The Oscars
Halle Berry and Denzel Washington win
Academy Awards for best actress in
"Monster's Ball" and best actor in "Training
Day" respectively.
Watch Halle’s
Acceptance
Speech
In 2008…
• In June, Senator Barack
Obama becomes the first
African-American to win the
Democratic nomination for
U.S. presidential candidate.
Obama wins the presidential
election on November 4th,
becoming the first AfricanAmerican president-elect.
Keep in mind…
• This workshop only outlines a brief history of
African American experience and history.
From music to film to literature to politics, the
contributions that African Americans have
made in the United States have helped shape
the country into what it is today. African
American history is all of our history.
Thanks for attending!
You’re almost done…
Please complete the quiz in its entirety to
receive credit for attendance. The survey/quiz
can be found here or copy and paste this link
into your browser.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CTF7GXM