Landmarks in African American History

This page provides a chronological timeline of African American history from 1619 to 2008, highlighting key events and milestones in the struggle for equality and civil rights.

Key points:

• 1619: First enslaved Africans arrive in Virginia
• 1863: Emancipation Proclamation frees slaves
• 1865-1877: Reconstruction Era grants citizenship and voting rights
• 1877-1965: Jim Crow Era enforces racial segregation
• 1954-1965: Civil Rights Movement achieves major legislative victories
• 2008: Barack Obama elected as first African American president

Highlight: The timeline spans nearly 400 years of African American history, from the beginnings of slavery to the election of the first Black president.

Definition: The Reconstruction Era (1865-1877) was the period following the Civil War when efforts were made to reintegrate Southern states and former slaves into the Union.

Vocabulary: Jim Crow laws were state and local statutes that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States.

General Information on African American Experiences

This page provides context on the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s-1960s and background on earlier periods of American history relevant to the African American experience.

Key points:

• The 1950s-60s saw African Americans struggle to gain equal rights
• World War II opened some opportunities for Black servicemembers
• The Civil War (1861-1865) was fought largely over the issue of slavery
• Contrasts between the agricultural South and industrial North shaped the context for slavery and later segregation

Example: The Tuskegee Airmen were the first Black military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II.

Highlight: Thanksgiving traces back to the Pilgrim settlers, illustrating how early American history often overlooks the experiences of African Americans and Native Americans.