Key Moments in Black History: Timeline & Facts
Songs of Enslaved People
What were the songs slaves sang called?
Spirituals, also known as Negro spirituals or slave songs.
Civil Rights Organizations
What is the name of the US’s oldest civil rights organization?
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Key Figures
Who was nicknamed “the Moses of her people”?
Harriet Tubman.
Modern Movements
What is the name of the young black man whose death inspired the Black Lives Matter movement?
Trayvon Martin.
Civil Rights Protests
When Nina Simone sang “Mississippi Goddam”, what did she refer to when she talked about “school children sitting in jail”?
She referred to young African American students who were arrested and jailed for participating in civil rights protests.
Important Dates and Events
How is the annual celebration of the abolition of slavery in the US called?
Juneteenth.
When did the Montgomery bus boycott start?
December 5, 1955.
When was racial segregation ruled unconstitutional in US public schools?
1954, with the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education.
At the end of the 19th century, could black men vote?
It varied by state, but in many states, they faced significant barriers such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation tactics that effectively disenfranchised them.
When was the first slave brought to what would become the United States of America?
In 1619.
When did the Civil War start?
In 1861.
Music and Culture
What is the name of a melancholic folk music invented by African-Americans in the US in the 1860s?
Blues.
When did the Civil War end?
In 1865.
Police Brutality
What is the name of the man whose beating by four police officers led to the LA riots in 1992?
Rodney King.
Social Commentary
What is the song Strange Fruit about?
It’s about the lynching of African Americans in the Southern United States during the Jim Crow era.
When was slavery officially abolished in all of the United States (13th amendment)?
In 1865.
Who issued the Emancipation Proclamation?
President Abraham Lincoln.
Discriminatory Laws
How were the laws preventing black people from being equal citizens in the US called?
Jim Crow laws, Black codes, Segregation laws.
Civil Rights Anthem
Which song has become the “anthem” of the Civil Rights Movement?
“We Shall Overcome.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
When did Martin Luther King Jr. give the speech “I have a Dream”?
On August 28, 1963.
What year was Martin Luther King assassinated?
In 1968.
Racist Caricatures
Which of the following are insulting caricatures of Black Americans?
Blackface, Sambo, Mammy.
The Underground Railroad
What was the name of the organization leading slaves to freedom?
The Underground Railroad.
Complete the missing word: The Underground Railroad.
Coded Messages
Which song sends a coded message to help slaves escape?
“Follow the Drinking Gourd.”
Significant Events of 1865
What happened in the US in 1865?
Several significant events occurred in 1865, including the end of the Civil War, the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, and the passage of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery.
Civil Rights Tactics
Which of the following tactics were used by the Civil Rights Movement to achieve equality for African-Americans in the US?
Nonviolent protests, boycotts, legal challenges, grassroots organizing, and civil disobedience.
Separate but Equal Doctrine
When did the US Supreme Court create the doctrine “separate but equal”?
The doctrine of “separate but equal” was established in the 1896 Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson.