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Beginnings: Resisting Slavery and Building America

A depiction of the Stono Rebellion (1739) in Southern Virginia, the largest slave uprising on the British colonial mainland.
An 1831 woodcut of Nat Turner’s Rebellion, led by about 100 enslaved people. The rebellion shocked many slave-owners, who had previously seen their subjects as incapable of uniting.
Dred Scott, who challenged the Supreme Court for the rights of enslaved African-Americans. The case, though decided against him, was a landmark step towards the abolition of slavery.
Gordon, or “Whipped Peter.” The scars on his back were the results of frequent whippings from his master. This photo circulated widely during the Civil War, strengthening the abolitionist movement.
2 April 1863
Harriet Tubman (far left) with a group of former slaves that she led to freedom. She was a major component of the Underground Railroad, a secret program used to liberate slaves.
William H. Cheney, c. 1885
An 1863 poster celebrating the Emancipation Proclamation
from the point of view of a freedman.

The War Effort Through the Years

Silas Chandler (right) serving under his master, Confederate Sgt. Andrew M. Chandler (left).
c. 1861
The 4th United States Colored Infantry Regiment during the Civil War, c. 1864.
An 1865 recruitment poster for black Union soldiers.
Members of the 369th Infantry Regiment (the “Harlem Hellfighters”) wearing the Croix de Guerre in 1919 for their bravery in World War I.
Rance Richardson, an American First Sergeant and veteran of both World Wars.
Major Cleveland, leader of the weapons squad, pointing out a North Korean
position to his machine-gun crew (in the Korean War).
20 Nov. 1950
 
Staff Sergeant T. Kirven and Corporal S. J. Love, Sr. receiving Purple Hearts during the battle of Saipan, Mariana Islands.

Doris Miller being awarded the Navy Cross for his quick thinking and courage during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was the first African American to receive the award.
27 May 1942

The Civil Rights Movement and the Struggle For Equality

A police dog ripping the pants off of Henry Lee Shambry. The famous photograph was taken during a 1963 civil rights march in Birmingham, Alabama.
Freedom Riders, protesters who rode buses to the South in an effort to end segregation in mass transit.
The Greensboro Sit-in (1960), in which African-American college students refused to leave a lunch counter after being refused service. This event inspired many subsequent sit-ins.
Little Rock Nine, a group of African-American students enrolled in Little Rock High School. They were denied entry to the school by the Governor of Arkansas, but were able to eventually integrate the school with resilience and determination.
Malcolm X, nationalist leader of the Nation of Islam; Martin Luther King, Christian minister and one of the Civil Rights Movement’s most prominent leaders. They were both assassinated near the end of the Civil Rights Movement. Both images are from 1964.
A bleak banner hanging outside NAACP headquarters. This flag was flown almost daily for over eighteen years as a symbol of ongoing violence against African-Americans.
Rosa Parks being fingerprinted. She played a key role in the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, which helped give the Civil Rights Movement momentum.
Martin Luther King’s famous March on Washington, in which his “I Have a Dream” speech was heard by 250,000 people.

Changing the Face of Politics

Georgia Representative John Lewis, former organizer of the March on Washington. He has served in the House since 1987.
Chief Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American on the Supreme Court. Before his career on the Court, Marshall was a seasoned lawyer involved in Brown v. Board of Education, which found segregation in schools to be unconstitutional.
Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman in Congress. In 2015, she was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
A poster advocating for the freedom of Angela Davis, who was incarcerated for promoting socialism and racial equality during the Civil Rights Movement. Her acquittal was a major victory for African-American leaders.
Women in the Black Panthers, a political party founded in 1968 to challenge the oppression of African-Americans. The party engaged in social programs and organized protests.
Frederick Douglass in 1857. He was a former slave who advocated abolitionism and participated extensively in the Underground Railroad.
Barack Obama, the first African-American president, taking the Oath of Office for his first term. Michelle Obama, the first African-American First Lady, looks on.

Milestones in Music

Miles Davis, jazz trumpeter whose 1959 album Kind of Blue remains the best-selling jazz album of all time. In addition, Davis pioneered jazz fusion, the blending of jazz and rock.
Ella Fitzgerald, the “Queen of Jazz” who was famous for her improvisational skills and “scat” singing. She won fourteen Grammys over a sixty-year career.
Duke Ellington, jazz pianist and songwriter, and his orchestra in the Cotton Club in Harlem.
Chuck Berry, who pioneered rock music by popularizing guitar solos and experimenting with rhythm and blues. His most well known hits are “Maybelline” and “Johnny B. Goode”.
John Coltrane, arguably the most famous saxophonist of all time. He collaborated with numerous artists over his life, and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize 40 years after his death.
Nina Simone at the piano in 1969. On top of being a civil rights icon, she dabbled in a broad range of music genres, from classical to soul to jazz.
Stevie Wonder in concert, 1974. Despite being visually impaired, he was a keyboard prodigy at a young age. Working in soul and R&B, Wonder is one of the most commercially successful artists ever, with 100 million confirmed sales.
Folk musician (c. 1902) playing the banjo, an instrument which first arrived to the United States with the passage of African slaves. Banjo music was used by African-Americans to express the pain and oppression of slavery.
Lead Belly, blues and folk musician whose music reflected his experiences with prison life and racism. From piano to 12-string guitar to accordion, he played a variety of instruments.

Athletic Prowess

Tommie Smith (middle) and John Carlos (right) at the 1968 Olympics. Before the National Anthem began, the two raised their fists to perform the Black Power Salute. They would not salute the country until they saw that blacks were recognized and respected.
Jackie Robinson, the first black MLB player, sharing a kindred moment with his son.
Muhammad Ali defeating Sonny Liston in 1964, at the the height of his career. Ali then yelled, “Get up, sucker!” The quote, coupled with this iconic photograph, was a defining moment in popular culture.
Michael Jordan’s iconic “dunk,” the silhouette of which is immortalized in the “Jordan’s” logo. Today, the logo can be seen as a symbol of black accomplishments in athletics.
Wilma Rudolph, three-time Olympic gold medalist and the greatest female track and field athlete of all time. She inspired many young African-American women with her performance, and helped elevate women’s athletics to the same status as men’s.
Jesse Owens, four-time Olympic gold medalist and the greatest male track and field athlete of all time. He shattered 3 world records in less than an hour in 1935.
Althea Gibson claiming her prize at Wimbledon in 1958. Her outstanding performance (11 Grand Slams in total) proved to the world that black women could succeed in tennis.

About Post Author

Eric Lee ('22) and Conrad Lewis ('22)

clewis22@mlschools.org
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