Black History

African Americans have played important roles in the history of our nation, a part of history which was often sadly ignored or abandoned. Throughout the past and into the present African Americans continue to help form a nation which, in many ways, still struggles to define and practice equality for all.

From George Washington Carver's agricultural contributions to Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement African Americans have contributed to society, often in the face of adversity. The black experience is present in the hauntingly autobiographical poetry of Maya Angelou, in the soulful blues of B.B. King and in the works of many others. Today's musicians, artists, scientists, doctors, politicians, sports figures and local heroes stand firmly on the shoulders of those who have gone before, continuing to make contributions, carve a place in American history which can no longer be ignored and pave the way for others to follow.

Black History Month

In celebration and recognition of those contributions and achievements, Negro History Week became Black History Month in 1926. Established by Carter Woodson, the director of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, February was selected, in part, in celebration of the birth of Abraham Lincoln (who abolished slavery) and the birth of Frederick Douglass (an important leader in the abolitionist movement).

Black history month, also sometimes referred to as African American History Month or African Heritage Month, increases awareness of the need to recognize black history as an integral part of American history. Black history was often ignored in mainstream public school text books, with little more than a brief reference to slavery and minor mentions of George Washington Carver's Tuskegee achievements. Today black history is more than a footnote in American History studies across the nation.

Black History Month also helps promote racial harmony and racial tolerance, giving students the opportunity to learn about the vast contributions made by African Americans throughout history and how it directly affects the world today.

Famous Black Americans

Many successful and influential African Americans have made their mark throughout history. There was Sojourner Truth, born a slave and freed in 1827, campaigning against slavery and making her stand for women's rights in 1851 with her famous Ain't I a Woman? speech.

And Harriet Tubman, known by many as the “Moses of her people,” who freed over 300 slaves in the Underground Railroad. Booker T. Washington, who dedicated his life to writing and teaching others and George Washington Carver, who invented hundreds of uses for peanuts and sweet potatoes and who changed the face of southern agriculture forever.

Then there was Scott Joplin, best known for his lively ragtime music and Louis Armstrong, the celebrated jazz musician. Jesse Ownens brought home four Olympic gold medals in 1936 and Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play major league baseball. And, of course, Rosa Parks, the famous seamstress who refused to give up her seat to a white man in 1955, while Leontyne Price sang opera on national television.

Perhaps the most well known figure (and Nobel Peace Prize recipient), Martin Luther King, Jr., inspired the masses with his famous “I Have A Dream” speech, delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963.

And in 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Thurgood Marshall, who became the first African American Supreme Court Justice.

Memorable Black History Events

From the early 1600's through to the present day, history is riddled with memorable events, some more memorable than others. With slavery rebellions, antislavery movements and laws on record, a travel through time reveals much about the past and the present. From the twenty Africans arriving in Jamestown to Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation through the turbulent 1950's when segregation still existed throughout much of the southern United States and on into the present day political arena, an historic study of the United States is incomplete without the study of black history in America.

One of the most extensive black history timelines can be found in the Thomson-Gale's free resources section of their website.

Black History in Baltimore

African Americans have been playing an important role in the history of Baltimore since colonial times as well. Be sure to take a moment to explore Baltimore black history and all it has to offer.