BLACK HISTORY MONTH
  • Abolishment of the Slave-Trade: After trying for nearly twenty years, William Wilberforce and his colleagues finally persuaded the British Parliament to outlaw the legal practice of African slave-trading on the 23rd of February, 1807.

     
  • Abolition - Poetry: Abolitionists in Britain asked the hymn writer and poet, William Cowper, to write anti-slave ballads. One - The Negro's Complaint - is particularly poignant.

     
  • Abolitionists: Former slaves work to free others

     
  • Africa, Before European Slave-Traders: What were trading relationships like between Europeans and Africans before slave-trading began? When did things change? Included in this chapter are video links to The Story of Africa, as told by Africans.

     
  • Amistad Incident: Were captured Africans free men, who could return to their country, or slaves, who could be sold?

     
  • Antwone Fisher: A child abandoned by his mother comes into his own in the U.S. Navy

     
  • Auctions of People: In America and the Caribbean, captured Africans were sold at auction as though they were horses, cattle or other types of property. See pictures from the U.S. Library of Congress documenting such events.

     
  • Benjamin Banneker: A former slave, whose Almanac for 1792 was called "an extraordinary effort of genius," wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson, reminding the principal author of the American Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal"

     
  • Carl Brashear: First African-American Master Navy Diver

     
  • Celia, a Slave: In 1850, the laws of Missouri, protecting individuals, did not protect slaves

     
  • "Color Line": Discrimination in Major League Baseball: As the nineteenth century drew to a close, African-Americans were forced to play segregated baseball. An "unwritten color line" had developed, causing great hardships for African-American players. Jackie Robinson broke that "color line" on April 15, 1947. What caused it to occur in the first place?

     
  • Diary of a Slave Trader: What was life like aboard a slave-trading vessel? How did a slaver view his cargo? See excerpts from the journal of John Newton, a slaver-turned abolitionist.

     
  • Dorie Miller - A Hero Under Fire: Dorie Miller's normal job, on his U.S. Navy ship, was in the galley. But he did not give normal responsibilities a second thought on the morning of December 7, 1941. Demonstrating valor "above and beyond the call of duty," Miller received a Navy Cross for his "extraordinary courage and disregard for his own personal safety."

     
  • Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln declares that "slavery is wrong" and issues an Emancipation Proclamation - the original document, with Lincoln's signature - is linked in this story

     
  • Enforcing Slave-Trade Abolition: After Parliament outlawed the slave trade, in 1807, stiff fines were imposed on violators. To avoid those penalties, illegally operating slavers threw their human cargo overboard. See the diary of Henry Binstead who witnessed some of the atrocities.

     
  • Frederick Douglass - From Slave to Leader: Given a "slave name" at birth, Frederick Douglass learned to read and write. He believed that education was "the pathway from slavery to freedom." How was this American slave able to escape? How did he become a highly respected leader?

     
  • Jim Crow Laws: The United States Supreme Court allows racial segregation by calling it "separate but equal"

     
  • 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.

     
  • 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

     
  • 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.
SLAVERY


 

DRA Teaching Activities from Houghton Mifflin.  http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/readers_guides/nelson_wreath.shtml
Audio file for the poem -- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4818586
Other poems by Marilyn Nelson  http://www.poemhunter.com/marilyn-nelson/
Complete Lesson Plans and Activities from Richmond Schools -- http://blog.richmond.edu/openwidelookinside/archives/949
 

http://edsitement.neh.gov/monthly_feature.asp?id=173     great site for more information