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THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN STRUGGLE FOR CIVIL RIGHTSThe struggle that African Americans had to overcome in order to achieve civil rights. This theme can be broken down into basic components including, the issue of slavery, the Civil War, discrimination, and segregation. These factors all play an important role in what the African Americans dealt with throughout American history.1600s – Dallas Jimenez1700s – Dallas Jimenez1800-1850 – Joash Alanis1851-1900 – Alexis Zavala1901-1950 – Frank Torres1951-present day- Frank Torres Mrs. Seeburg6th period10 May 2013APUSHSubliminal message: we love Mrs. Seeburg 1600s(1619) the first Africans arrived on the east coast in the state of Virginia. A Dutch ship carrying about 20 Africans came. At this point they didn’t know what to consider them but they know they weren’t indentured servants. They didn’t want to consider them indentured servants because they were a different race. They felt that if you were black you were a bad person and deserved to be a slave. According some files they were labeled under servants. Some Africans were free and owned parts of land went they were here. The first African to be considered a slave was at Jamestown. 1700sAlong the years came more and more slaves threw the triangle trade routes and eventually brought slaves who could write. The first African American poet named Lucy Terry came to be around 1746. She wrote poems about the hardships of being a slave. Another poet came along named Phillis Wheatleys who is considered one of the most important African American writers during the 1700 and also the first African American to publish their work. Soon African Americans are mostly used for labor. The invention of the cotton gin made demands for more slaves. The fugitive slave law came to light when there were too many slaves escaping. The law stated the return of slaves to their owners without question. The Stono uprising also took a very important role on the Africans in America. This rebellion showed that in the 1700 African Americans didn’t not like the way they were treated. Soon after South Carolina respond with the negro act of 1740 which restricted slave assembly, education and movement. Life as slave in the 1700 was only getting worse as the years pasted. Slaves were treated horrible because of their skin color and where they came from. African Americans during the Revolution were not only fighting for the freedom of the country but, for their own freedom and liberties. Soon after the revolution war the Declaration of Independence came. This could have been one of the earliest attempts abolish slavery but not all Americans were agreed with the idea. The idea was called off before the final draft of the paper. The 3/5 compromise showed, slowly but surely African Americans were becoming someone in this country. They Original felt that they should only count the free slaves and not the working ones.1800-1850Gabriel Prosser, an enslaved African-American blacksmith, organizes a slave revolt intending to march on Richmond, Virginia. The conspiracy is uncovered, and Prosser and a number of the rebels are hanged. Virginia's slave laws are consequently tightened.(1800) The Missouri Compromise put off the inevitable war for forty years. It is an example of procrastination at its best. In an attempt to address the issue of the further spread of slavery, however, the Missouri Compromise stipulated that all the Louisiana Purchase territory north of the southern boundary of Missouri, except Missouri, would be free, and the territory below that line would be slave.(1820) Denmark Vesey, an enslaved African-American carpenter who had purchased his freedom, plans a slave revolt with the intent to lay siege on Charleston, South Carolina. The plot is discovered, and Vesey and 34 coconspirators are hanged.(1822) Nat Turner, an enslaved African-American preacher, leads the most significant slave uprising in American history. He and his band of followers launch a short, bloody, rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia. The militia quells the rebellion, and Turner is eventually hanged. As a consequence, Virginia institutes much stricter slave laws. William Lloyd Garrison begins publishing the Liberator, a weekly paper that advocates the complete abolition of slavery. He becomes one of the most famous figures in the abolitionist movement.(1831) David Wilmot introduced an amendment to the bill stipulating that none of the territory acquired in the Mexican War should be open to slavery. In the election of 1848 the terms of the Wilmot Proviso, a definite challenge to proslavery groups, were ignored by the Whig and Democratic parties but were adopted by the Free-Soil party. Frederick Douglass, who had learned to read and write while in the service of a kind mistress in Baltimore, published his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass in 1845. Fearing capture as a fugitive slave, he spent several years in England and Ireland and returned in 1847, after English friends had purchased his freedom. In the Civil War he helped organize two regiments of Massachusetts African Americans and urged other blacks to join the Union ranks. During Reconstruction he continued to urge civil rights for African Americans.(1846) Harriet Tubman was a runaway slave during the American civil war. She was known as one of the "conductors" on the Underground Railroad to help slaves get to freedom. She helped many lives and freed many slaves.(1849) The Compromise of 1850 admitted California as a free state, and gave the South stricter Fugitive Slave Laws as a way to "balance" the deal. It also gave Kansas and Nebraska territories the right to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery or not. This indirectly repealed the Missouri Compromise.(1850)Gabriel Prosser - was a literate enslaved blacksmith who planned a large slave rebellion in the Richmond area in the summer of 1800.Missouri Compromise - an agreement in 1820 between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States concerning the extension of slavery into new territoriesDenmark Vesey - was an African-Caribbean who was most famous for planning a slave rebellion in the United States in 1822. Nat Turner - United States slave and insurrectionist who in 1831 led a rebellion of slaves in Virginia, he was captured and executed.David Wilmot - He was a sponsor and eponym of the Wilmot Proviso which aimed to ban slavery in land gained from Mexico in the Mexican-American War of 1846–1848Frederick Douglass - United States abolitionist who escaped from slavery and became an influential writer and lecturer in the promise of 1850 - was a series of acts passed in 1850 by which Congress hoped to settle the stress between the opponents of slavery in the North and the slave owners in the South.1851-1900The events that revolve around the years 1851-1900 are mainly focused on the laborious struggles that the African Americans had to overcome; some events greatly improved the African American Civil rights movement as well. Although the African American struggle for Civil Rights can be dated back all the way to the 1600s, it is clear that the no other events in history were as dramatic as the events surrounding the Civil War era. The continuing debate whether territory gained in the Mexican War should be open to slavery is decided in the Compromise of 1850: California was admitted as a free state, Utah and New Mexico territories were left to be decided by popular sovereignty, and the slave trade in Washington, DC, was prohibited. It also established a much stricter fugitive slave law than the original, passed in 1793. In 1852 Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin was published. It becomes one of the most influential works to stir anti-slavery sentiments. This novel triggered a moral debate amongst the American people. This debate heightened the popular sentiment from distaste for slavery to desire for the abolition of it. Uncle Tom's Cabin contributed to the American ideal that the abolition of slavery might be possible and even necessary due to the mixed emotions interpreted in the novel. When Stowe visited the White House in November 1862, President Lincoln commented on the powerful impact coming from a writer who stood at less than five feet tall, “So you're the little woman who wrote the book that started this Great War!" Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in part because he too was aware of the growing northern desire to eliminate an institution so antithetical to the ideals of American values. In Conclusion this was a substantial step for African Americans since it opened a path to an era that foresaw the abolition of slavery. Two years later, Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act; it established the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. The legislation repeals the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and renews tensions between anti- and proslavery factions. In 1857 the Dred Scott case concluded that Congress does not have the right to ban slavery in states and, furthermore, that slaves are not citizens. This was a decline for the African American’s Civil Rights because it degraded the role of slaves by stating that they are not regarded as actual citizens, yet this also became a controversial argument amongst Americans. This case had a huge effect on federalism, and it altered the scope of politics in the country. This court decision gave more power to the National Government, because it took power away from the states. It overturned the Missouri Compromise and took away some of the sovereignty of the states. It ruled that states could not deny citizens the right to property in territories without due process, and therefore gave more power to the laws of the National Government. Not only did this case affect the way the government’s power balance, but it instigated the belief that slavery could be unconstitutional. Due to the political disputes, the American Civil War began in 1861 and although it is debatable whether the war originated after the issue of slavery or not, Abraham Lincoln’s beliefs and ideals during the war contributed, and eventually led to the abolition of slavery. An example of this would be when Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, declaring "that all persons held as slaves" within the Confederate states "are, and henceforward shall be free." Although this act was considered unconstitutional and limited by not being effective nationally, it was the first form of abolition of slavery. African American Civil Rights movement gained momentum right soon after the emancipation and the after effects began to show benefits. 1965 was a year of extreme importance for African Americans, and it is really the time that things began to turn into favor for the blacks. Congress established the Freedmen's Bureau to protect the rights of newly emancipated blacks (March). The Civil War ended the next month providing a more promising future in which total abolition would soon be present In the U.S. The next month on the 14th President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. This was a shocking event In U.S history, but Lincoln’s death left many unanswered questions regarding the slave issue in nation, and hope for a free country became questionable. The war left some form of resentment, there were still some people were not pleased with the results of the war therefore the Ku Klux Klan was formed in Tennessee by ex-Confederates (May). The Klan later triggered a hostile period in which African Americans were persecuted and hated; as a result the blacks’ civil rights movement became a feared ideal. Slavery in the United States ended when 250,000 slaves in Texas finally received the news that the Civil War had ended two months earlier (June 19). Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, prohibiting slavery in December 6 making the United States a free nation. That same year the Black Codes were passed which restricted the rights of the newly freed slaves; fortunately the Black Codes were repealed in 1966. The following year a series of Reconstruction acts were passed, carving the former Confederacy into five military districts and guaranteeing the civil rights of freed slaves. In 1868 the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, defining citizenship. Individuals born or naturalized in the United States are American citizens, including those born as slaves. This nullifies the Dred Scott Case, which had ruled that blacks were not citizens. Obtaining citizenship was an immense improvement in the African American ride towards their Civil Rights. Yet another amendment aided the blacks in the struggle for civil rights as the Fifteenth Amendment gave blacks the right to vote in 1870. 7 years later, Reconstruction in the south ended. Federal attempts to provide some basic civil rights to African Americans quickly erode. Booker T. Washington founded the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute in Alabama. The school became one of the leading schools of higher learning for African Americans, and stressed the practical application of knowledge in 1881. And to finalize this time period, in 1896 the Plessy v. Ferguson case defined yet another shameful event for Americans. This landmark Supreme Court decision holds that racial segregation is constitutional, paving the way for the repressive Jim Crow laws in the South.Glossary: Popular sovereignty.- A doctrine that states that the people in a certain territory have the right yo vote to decide their territorial legislature whether or not slavery would be permitted there.Harriet Beecher Stowe.- Author of the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin Uncle Tom's Cabin.- anti-slavery novelPresident Lincoln.- 16th president of the United StatesEmancipation proclamation.- It proclaimed that all of those who were slaves in confederate territory to be forever free. Dred Scott case.- African American named Dred Scott sues for his title as free against Stanford. The case concluded that slaves were not citizens.Congress.- Bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States.African American’s civil Rights.- Social movement in the U.S aimed at outlawing racial discrimination.Confederate states.-Seceded southern territories. Ku Klux Klan.- organization that advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically expressed through terrorism.Confederates.- a government set up in 1861 by seven southern slave states that had declared their secession from the United StatesBlack Codes.- laws in the United States passed after the Civil War with the effect of limiting the civil rights and civil liberties of blacksReconstruction.- Time period in which the South was being reintegrated with the nation.Booker T. Washington.- an African-American educator, author, orator, and advisor to presidents of the United StatesTuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute.- a private, historically black university located in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States, founded by African-American educator Booker T. Washington.1900-present dayThe National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is founded in New York by prominent black and white intellectuals and led by W.E.B. DuBois. This was a reaction from Booker T. Washington saying “Cast down your bucket where ever you are” and this would start their culture movement in ten years. The Harlem Renaissance flourishes in the 1920s and 1930s. This literary, artistic, and intellectual movement fosters a new cultural identity. The Harlem Renaissance would later influence one man to sign an African American into a major league sport. Jackie Robinson breaks Major League Baseball’s color barrier when he signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers by Branch Rickey. This signing would prove that African Americans should integrate with whites. Even though African Americans had participated in every major U.S. war, it was not until President Harry S. Truman issues an executive order to integrate the U.S. armed forces. Not just in sports but in the military are being integrated as well. Brown v. Board of Education declares that racial segregation in schools is unconstitutional. Now that schools are being integrated southern blacks are now stepping up by integrating more things are segregated. Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat at the front of the “Colored section” of a bus to a white passenger in 1955. This would show that now women would also help of integrating the U.S. The March on Washington for jobs and freedom attended by about 250,000 people, largest demonstration ever seen in the nation’s capital. This demonstration would later impact the president in singing an important document. President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act in 1964. There would be some consequences to this act like the start of oppression groups. The Black Panthers are founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. With this group created and others would have consequences on the leaders of the black movement. In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tenn. With this negative event in history would help one African American get the highest political office. Barack Obama becomes the first African American to be nominated as a major party nominee for president and then becomes the first African American president and the 44th president. This demonstrates that African Americans have come a real long way since they came first as slaves.The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People- an African American Civil Rights organization in the U.S. formed 1909. Its mission is “to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination”.W.E.B DuBois- Born in Great Barrington Massachusetts, was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist author and editor, and co-founder of NAACPHarlem Renaissance- a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s, it was known as the “New Negro Movement” named after the 1925 anthology by Alain LockeJackie Robinson- an American baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball, the first black man to play since 1880s and ended racial segregationBranch Rickey- an innovative Major league Baseball executive elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967, most known for breaking color barrier by signing Jackie RobinsonPresident Harry S. Truman- was the 33rd President of the United States and final running mate of President Franklin D. RooseveltBrown v Board of Education- landmark Supreme Court case that stated racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturned Plessy v Ferguson Rosa Parks- An African American Civil Rights Activist in which famous for not giving her seat up to a white man on a Montgomery public busMarch on Washington- on of the largest political rally of human rights in the U.S. history which called for civil and economical rights for African Americans, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous Speech “ I Have a Dream”President Lyndon B. Johnson- was the 36th President of the United States and was one of four people to have four elected federal offices of the United StatesCivil Rights Act- a landmark piece of civil rights, it outlawed major forms of discrimination of racial ethnic, national, and religious minorities and womenBlack Panthers- a Black revolutionary socialist organization active in the United States from 1966-1982, they received national and international notoriety with its involvement of Black PowerHuey Newton-an African American political and Urban Activist who co founded the Black Panther party in 1966Bobby Seale- an African American Activist who ALs co-founded the Black Panther Party with Huey NewtonMartin Luther King Jr.- an American clergyman, activist, and leader of the Civil Rights Movement most known for his nonviolent civil disobedience and “ I Have a Dream” speechBarack Obama-the 44th President of the United States and the First African American to hold presidential office ................
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