Black History Month

Who was the father of Black History?

• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

• Barack Obama

• Dr. Carter G. Woodson

• Abraham Lincoln

Answer explanation

Dr. Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950) was the second African-American to earn a doctorate from Harvard.

Why is Black History Month celebrated in February?

• To coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass

• It's the shortest month of the year.

• It's when the Emancipation Proclamation was written.

• It's when Valentine's Day is celebrated.

Answer explanation

Douglass became the first African American nominated for vice president of the United States in 1872.

Watch the mini biography.

This proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are and henceforward shall be free".

• The Civil Liberties Act

• The Bill of Rights

• The Emancipation Proclamation

• The Consitution

Answer explanation

Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation into effect January 1, 1863. Every slave in the South was then, thenceforward, and forever, free.

Watch the PBS video The Emancipation Proclamation

January 1, 1873 was the date...

• Harriet Tubman died.

• The Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

• Fredrick Douglass died.

What is an abolitionist?

• A person who wants to abolish slavery

• A person who is pro-slavery

Answer explanation

Traveling alone, Tubman escapes to Philadelphia and becomes involved with the Black abolitionist movement, while the new Fugitive Slave Law makes life for African Americans even more dangerous.

What were Jim Crow Laws?

• Laws that made things equal for all

• Laws that excluded African Americans

Answer explanation

Jim Crow laws were state and local statutes that legalized racial segregation.

Watch the Video

From the film Freedom Riders: Jerry Moore on Jim Crow Laws

From the film Freedom Riders: Glenda Davis on Jim Crow Laws

What did the Freedom Riders accomplish?

• They desegregated interstate transportation, including highways, bus stops, and train terminals

• They segregated public transportation

Answer explanation

Freedom Riders were groups of white and African American civil rights activists who participated in Freedom Rides, bus trips through the American South in 1961 to protest segregated bus terminals.

Watch Ain't Scared of Your Jails (1960-1961)

Explain why is Black History is American History?