African-American History Month (J-Z)
African-American History Month (J-Z)
Jackie Robinson: One of major-league-baseball's greatest players, Jackie Robinson broke the "color line" when he became a Brooklyn Dodger on April 15, 1947.
Jim Crow Laws: The United States Supreme Court allows
racial segregation by calling it "separate but equal."
Jim Crow Music: The phrase "Jim Crow" comes from a minstrel character, played by a white man (Tom "Daddy" Rice), who incorporated the black character into his show during 1832. This is the song which he performed, entitled "Jump Jim Crow."
John F. Kennedy: Civil Rights Speech of June 11, 1963.
John Wesley, Letter on American Slavery: In the last
letter he ever wrote, linked in this chapter, the famous preacher called
American slavery "the vilest that ever saw the sun."
Little Rock Protests: Despite protests by whites in the
town, nine African-American Little Rock students are the first blacks to attend
Central High School.
Martin Luther King, Jr - Various Topics: Dr. King
accomplished much during his thirty-nine years, and his speeches are still
fascinating to hear and see. The link takes you to a list of selected topics,
including audio and video segments.
Medgar Evers: Civil Rights leader, serving as NAACP's Field Secretary in Jackson, Mississippi, was killed for his efforts on behalf of African-Americans.
Middle Passage - Myths: As Britain's Parliament debated
whether the African slave-trade should be abolished, Members of Parliament
benefitting from the trade summoned people to testify before the Privy Counsel.
Their testimony - that Africans uprooted from their homes were well taken care
of - was subject to effective cross examination.
Middle Passage - Reality: What was life aboard the
slave ships really like? See pictures and listen to audio clips from The
Story of Africa.
Nat Turner: Leader of a slave rebellion
Olaudah Equiano: A kidnapped African tells his story
about the "middle passage" and asks hard questions of slave owners
Plantation Life: No schools or learning allowed for
slave children
Plessy v Ferguson: Homer Plessy (7/8 white, 1/8 black)
wanted to sit in a "whites only" railroad car. He was arrested for doing so, and
his case went to the United States Supreme Court. The high court's decision -
one of its most shameful - endorsed the concept of "separate but equal," leading
to decades of legally permitted racial discrimination.
Public-Relations Campaign to End Slave-Trading: The
world's first national public-relations campaign took place in Britain as
abolitionists and politicians mobilized forces (click on "change the mind" in
the penultimate paragraph) to convince the British public that slave-trading was
wrong.
"Ripple of Hope" - A Speech Against Racial Injustice:
In the summer of 1966, Robert F. Kennedy gave a famous speech which some
historians consider his finest: "We must recognize the full human equality of
all of our people - before God, before the law, and in the councils of
government." Learn the background of the speech and the man.
Ronald McNair - African-American Astronaut:
Attending segregated public schools in South Carolina, Dr. McNair excelled as a
student and an athlete. Valedictorian of his high-school class, he later earned
his doctorate at MIT. He was the second African-American to become an astronaut.
Aboard Challenger, on its ill-fated mission, he gave his life for his country on
January 28, 1986.
Slave Voices: Narratives from African-Americans who
served as slaves
Slave-Trade, The Beginnings: Britain joined the African
slave-trade in 1562, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Portugal had been
sending slaves to Spanish North American colonies before that time.
Story Behind the Song Amazing Grace: A former
slaver, who nearly lost his life, writes the song Amazing Grace. Learn
about the background of the song and the man - John Newton - who wrote it.
Triangle Trade: A three-pronged trading system
developed between Britain, Africa and British colonies in North America and the
Caribbean. The first leg, typically originating in Liverpool or Bristol, saw
manufactured goods delivered to Africa. Offloading those goods, sailors took on
new cargo for the middle passage. Africans, kidnapped from their homes, were
crowded into ships and were sold in "the new world." Raw materials - like sugar,
tobacco and cotton which slaves helped to produce - were sent to Britain for
processing during the third leg of the triangular trade.
Underground Railroad - A Slave's Route to Freedom:
Ripley was a town that hated slavery. Maybe Tice Davids, a Kentucky runaway
slave, knew that as he swam for his life across the Ohio River. His white
"master" wasn’t far behind. With his eyes fixed on his “property,” the owner
furiously rowed across the river which separated free states from slave states.
What happened next gave a name to a movement.
U.S. Navy: Pre-1951 discrimination against
African-Americans
W.E.B. Du Bois - 1900 Paris Exposition: William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, a scholar and Harvard graduate, created an award-winning exhibit, for the 1900 Paris Exposition, showing the progress African-Americans had made in the 35 years since American slavery had ended. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called Du Bois "a tireless explorer and a gifted discoverer of social truths..."
We Shall Overcome: In 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached a sermon at Temple Israel of Hollywood. With his theme - "We Shall Overcome" - he underscored the reasons (from the past, present and future) why African-Americans would overcome the shackles of discrimination in the United States.
We Shall Overcome: This song - and its lyrics - became the rallying cry of the Civil Rights Movement. In this clip, Mahalia Jackson - performing in failing health - movingly sings it while on tour in London, England.
William Wilberforce, Efforts to End Slave-Trading:
British Member of Parliament who worked nearly twenty years to illegalize
African slave-trading.
William Wilberforce, Famous Speech to Parliament: On
the 12th of May, 1789 - after presenting firsthand evidence regarding the harsh
treatment of captive Africans - Wilberforce told members of parliament: "Having
heard all of this you may choose to look the other way but you can never again
say that you did not know."
Zong Captives, Deliberately Drowned: Slavers
hoping to increase the size of an insurance settlement deliberately threw 133
Africans overboard a slave-trading vessel. All except one died.
AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH (A-I)
