Black - African American History Facts

The Emancipation Proclamation was given on this date in 1863. President Abraham Lincoln "proclaimed" the freedom of all slaves.

Howard Theological Seminary became Howard University on this date in 1867. The school was named in honor of General Oliver O. Howard, a Freedmen's Bureau leader and Civil War hero.

James Farmer, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom on this date in 1998-the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a citizen. Farmer was the co-founder and a National Director of CORE.

Freed blacks, under the leadership of Andrew Bryan, organized the First African Baptist Church (originally named the Ethiopian Church of Jesus Christ) in Savannah, GA, on this date in 1788.

Walter Bergman, an 84-year-old Freedom Rider who was beaten by Ku Klux Klansmen at an Alabama bus station in 1961, was awarded a judgment of $50,000 by a U.S. District Court on this date in 1984.

Leontyne Price, world-renowned lyric soprano and the first black person to sing opera on television, was born in Jackson, MS, on this date in 1927. This Emmy award-winning singer has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the NAACP Spingarn Medal.

It is believed that blacks voted for the first time in the South (Alexandria, VA) on this date in 1867. The voting took place despite the fact that some officials refused to count the ballots and questioned the freedmen's status.

The Freedmen's Bureau for Black Education was founded on this date in 1865 to help freed blacks in contractual relationships and in education.

Frederick Augustus Douglass, orator, activist, and abolitionist, was elected President of Freedmen's Bank and Trust on this date in 1874.

Fannie Lou Hamer, freedom-fighter, activist, and founder of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), died on this date in 1977.

John Brown Russwurm and Samuel E. Cornish, founders of the Freedom's Journal (the first black newspaper), published the first issue on this date in 1827.

Clark College in Atlanta, GA, was charted on this date in 1877. The school was founded in 1869 as Clark University by the Freedmen's Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church which later became the United Methodist Church.

The "Blair Bill," a bill to provide federal support to education and the allocation of funds to reduce illiteracy among the freedmen, was defeated in the Senate on this date in 1890.

The Selma Freedom March to the State Capitol in Montgomery, AL, began on this date in 1965. The march, which consisted of about 3,000 demonstrators led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., pressed for voting rights. The march ended four days later.

Sammy Davis, Jr., legendary entertainer, received the 53rd NAACP Spingarn Medal on this date in 1969 for: his multi-faceted talent, his participation in the civil rights movement, and for his dedication to freedom, justice, quality, and the brotherhood of all mankind.

Twenty-three black and white Freedom Riders were sent by CORE and the Fellowship of Reconciliation to test the South's compliance with Supreme Court decisions on this date in 1947.

CORE began "Freedom Rides" on this date in 1961. The rides were designed to test the South's compliance to the Interstate Commerce Commission's order of desegregation.

The Freedom Riders' bus was bombed and set afire as segregationists attacked the group in Alabama on this date in 1961.

The Freedom Riders were again attacked by a mob in Montgomery, AL, on this date in 1961. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy ordered 400 U.S. marshals to Montgomery to restore order.

The Freedom Ride Coordinating Committee was established in Atlanta, GA, on this date in 1961.

Harriet Tubman, abolitionist, author, and engineer of the Underground Railroad, led Union Army guerillas into South Carolina and freed nearly 800 slaves on this date in 1863. Tubman was the first woman in U.S. history to command an armed military raid.

Rosa Parks was honored by President Clinton in the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony on this date in 1999. Mrs. Parks also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor in 1996 for her efforts on behalf of racial harmony.

Juneteenth is celebrated by many Blacks on this date annually. It marks the day in 1865 when slaves in south Texas first heard news about the Emancipation Proclamation, more than two years after their freedom had been proclaimed.

James Earl Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, CORE members and activists on a "Freedom Summer" mission, were murdered in Philadelphia, MS, on this date in 1964. The mission was a cross-country attempt to register Black voters.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., dedicated civil rights leader, received the 42nd NAACP Spingarn Medal on this date in 1957 for his contributions in the "Fight for Freedom" and his leadership in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Medgar Wiley Evers, NAACP Field Secretary and civil rights martyr who was assassinated at his home, received the 48th NAACP Spingarn Medal posthumously on this date in 1963 for his steadfast courage in the fight for freedom and racial justice.

Slavery was outlawed in British colonies on this date in 1834. Over 700,000 slaves were freed.

Steven Biko, writer and South African freedom-fighter, was arrested and taken to Port Elizabeth for questioning on this date in 1977. Biko was killed the next month while in police custody.

The Detroit Free Press reported, on this date in 1978, through information obtained from the ACLU, that the FBI had given Alabama police Sergeant Thomas Cook (a known KKK leader) the schedule of the Freedom Riders, thus, facilitating an attack by the Klan.

Nat Turner, revolutionary freedom-fighter, began his famous slave revolt in Southampton County, VA, on this date in 1831. During the three-day revolt, Turner and other slaves killed around 60 whites.

Twenty years to the date of his death, South African freedom-fighter, Steven Biko, was honored at a ceremony in South Africa on this date in 1997. President Nelson Mandela took part in the ceremony.

The American Missionary Association school, established in Fort Monroe, VA, opened on this date in 1861. This school, founded for the education of freedmen, had a black teacher named Mary Peake.

President Abraham Lincoln, on this date in 1862, warned he would issue the Emancipation Proclamation, proclaiming the freedom of all slaves, unless the Confederate states returned to the Union by the New Year.

Nearly 10,000 abolitionists broke into a Syracuse, NY, courtroom and freed William "Jerry" Henry, a fugitive slave, on this date in 1851. Henry then escaped to Canada by way of the "Underground Railroad."

Nat Turner, revolutionary freedom-fighter and leader of a slave revolt in Southampton County, VA, during which around 60 whites were killed, was born there on this date in 1800.

Fannie Lou Hamer, freedom-fighter, activist, and founder of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), was born in Ruleville, MS, on this date in 1917.

The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee launched a mass voter-registration drive on this date in 1963. This day, dubbed "Freedom Day," sparked other "Freedom Day" celebrations and activities over the next few years.

South African activist, Walter Sisulu, was freed after over 25 years of imprisonment on this date in 1989. Sisulu, like Nelson Mandela, was a political prisoner.

Tommie Smith and John Carlos (wearing gloves and socks) rose their fists in support of the struggle for black freedom while being awarded the 200-meter Olympic Gold and Bronze Medals respectively on this date in 1968.

Two hundred twenty five thousand students boycotted Chicago, IL, schools to protest de facto segregation on this date in 1963. This day was referred to as "Freedom Day."

Nat Turner, revolutionary freedom-fighter and leader of a slave revolt in Southampton County, VA, was captured on this date in 1831. During his three-day revolt, Turner and other slaves killed nearly 60 whites.

Nat Turner, was turned over to a sheriff on this date in 1831. The revolutionary freedom-fighter was captured the previous day for his involvement in his infamous slave revolt.

Nat Turner, revolutionary freedom-fighter and leader of a slave revolt in Southampton County, VA, was tried and found guilty for his participation in the revolt on this date in 1831.

Madison Washington led slaves aboard the slave ship Creole in a successful revolt on this date in 1841. They forced the captain and crew to take them to Nassau, Bahamas, where they were given asylum and gained their freedom.

The Freedom National Bank in Harlem, NY, closed on this date in 1990. The bank, a major depository for wealthy blacks and many black groups, might well have fallen victim to a double standard by federal regulators.

Nat Turner, revolutionary freedom-fighter and leader of a slave revolt in Southampton County, VA, was hanged, in Jerusalem, VA, on this date in 1831, for his involvement in the revolt.

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams founded Freedmen's Hospital School of Nursing on this date in 1894. The school was transferred to Howard University in 1969 and had graduated 1,700 nurses when it closed in 1973.

Blacks began a nearly week-long protest convention at the Zion Church of Charleston, SC, on this date in 1865. They wanted equal rights and the repeal of the "Black Codes," which restricted the movement and freedom of freedmen.

The Mississippi legislature began enacting the "Black Codes" to restrict the movement and freedom of freedmen on this date in 1865.

Charles Johnson won the "National Book Award" for fiction for his book, Middle Passage, a novel about the adventures of a freed slave on this date in 1990.

Dr. Ralph Bunche and Marian Anderson were awarded the "Medal of Freedom" from President Lyndon Johnson on this date in 1963. President John F. Kennedy initially announced the award recipients on July 4, 1963 but did not live to present them.

Elizabeth Mumbet Freeman, abolitionist and plaintiff in an historic civil rights suit in which she won her own freedom, died in Stockbridge, MA, on this date in 1829.