Timeline of Afrcan-American History

Timeline of African-American History

 

1527-1539	Estevanico The story of Estevanico, the first black conquistador in the New World, begins with the Portuguese conquest of the port city of Azemmour, Morocco, in 1513, when Estevanico was only 10 years old. Sold into slavery in Spain, Estevanico became the personal servant and good friend of Andres de Dorantes of Bejar del Castanar.
1619	It’s not clear if the Africans are considered slaves or indentured servants. (An indentured servant would be required to work a set amount of time, then granted freedom.) Records of 1623 and 1624 list them as servants, and indeed later records show increasing numbers of free blacks, some of whom were assigned land. On the other hand, records from gatherings do not indicate the marital status of the Africans (Mr., Miss, etc.) and, unlike white servants, no year is associated with the names — information vital in determining the end of a servant’s term of bondage. Most likely some Africans were slaves and some were servants. At any rate, the status of people in bondage was very confusing, even to those who were living at the time. Whatever the status of these first Africans to arrive at Jamestown, it is clear that by 1640, at least one African had been declared a slave. This African was ordered by the court “to serve his said master or his assigns for the time of his natural life here or elsewhere.”
1808	Considering we spend a good deal of time focusing on legislation that protects consumers and/or (usually or) businesses, we thought it appropriate to point out one of the big historical moments of trade law, not to mention human rights—tomorrow marks the “200th anniversary of Jan. 1, 1808, when the Considering we spend a good deal of time focusing on legislation that protects consumers and/or (usually or) businesses, we thought it appropriate to point out one of the big historical moments of trade the importation of slaves into the United States was prohibited
1820	Araminta Harriet Greene Tubman (1820 – 1913) devoted her life to fighting slavery, helping slaves and ex-slaves, and championing the rights of women. An incredibly brave woman, she was known as the “Moses of her people.”
1857	Dred Scott Supreme Court decision – slaves do not have the right to bring a case to court and cannot be citizens
1861	Abraham Lincoln becomes President of the US; Civil War starts
1863	Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation
1865	Civil War ends; Lincoln is assassinated; 13th amendment to Constitution abolishes slavery
1868	14th amendment to Constitution grants citizenship to former slaves
1870	15th amendment to Constitution prohibits states from denying the right to vote because of race
1909	Peary Robert Edwin Peary (May 6, 1856 – Feb. 20, 1920) was an American explorer and Naval officer who led the first expedition to the North Pole. In 1909, Peary, Matthew A. Henson, and four Eskimos were the first people to reach the North Pole.
1929	Martin Luther King, Jr., was a great man who worked for racial equality and civil rights in the United States of America. He was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. Martin had a brother, Alfred, and a sister, Christine. Both his father and grandfather were ministers. His mother was a schoolteacher who taught him how to read before he went to school.
1936	Jesse Owens (Sept. 12, 1913 – Mar. 31, 1980) was one of the world’s greatest track and field athletes. At the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals (in the 100 meter, 200 meter, 400 meter relay and the long jump) , set two Olympic records, and tied another. This humiliated Hitler and was an affront to his racial theories – Hitler had assumed that the “Aryans” (the Germanic race) would easily win. A year earlier, as an Ohio State University student, Owens set new world records in the 220 yard dash, the 200 yard hurdles, and the long jump (and equaled the record in the 100 yard) at the National Collegiate Track and Field Meet (on May 25, 1935).
1947	Jack (Jackie) Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1912 – October 24, 1972) was the first black man allowed to play major league baseball. On April 11, 1947, Robinson played his first major league baseball game (he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in an exhibition game against the New York Yankees). Robinson played with the Dodgers for 10 years. He played in six World Series and was the first African-American in the Baseball Hall of Fame (in 1962).
1954	Brown v. Board of Education. The Supreme Court orders schools to desegregate
1955	Rosa Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was a pivotal figure in the fight for civil rights. On December 1, 1955, a Montgomery, Alamba bus driver ordered Mrs. Parks to give up her seat to a white man. When she refused, she was fined and arrested. This incident prompted a city-wide bus boycott, which eventually resulted in a Supreme Court ruling that segregation on city buses is unconstitutional.
1963	Dr. King gives “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
1964	The Civil Rights Acts prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, or gender; Dr. King is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
1967	Thurgood Marshall (July 2, 1908 – Jan. 24, 1993) was the first African-American justice of the US Supreme Court. Marshall was on the team of lawyers in the historic Supreme Court trial concerning school desegregation, Brown v. Board of Education (1954). As a result of this trial, the “separate but equal” doctrine in public education was overthrown. After a successful career as a lawyer and judge fighting for civil rights and women’s rights, Marshall was appointed to the high court in 1967 (by President Lyndon Baines Johnson). On the high court, Marshall continued his fight for human rights until he retired on June 27, 1991.
1968	1968: becomes the first black man to win the US Open. He would later become the first black man to win Wimbledon in 1975.
1986	Martin Luther King Jr. Day is declared a national holiday in the U.S.
2009	Barack Obama (born August 4, 1961 -) is the 44th President of the United States of America. He was elected President on November 4, 2008, as a Democrat. His Vice-President running mate was Joseph Biden. Barack Obama is the first African-American president of the USA.