- Abolishment of the Slave-Trade: After trying for nearly
twenty years, William Wilberforce and his colleagues finally persuaded the
British Parliament to outlaw the legal practice of African slave-trading on the
23rd of February, 1807.
- Abolition - Poetry: Abolitionists in Britain asked the
hymn writer and poet, William Cowper, to write anti-slave ballads. One - The
Negro's Complaint - is particularly poignant.
- Abolitionists: Former slaves work to free
others
- Africa, Before European Slave-Traders: What were
trading relationships like between Europeans and Africans before slave-trading
began? When did things change? Included in this chapter are video links to
The Story of Africa, as told by Africans.
- Amistad Incident: Were captured Africans free men, who
could return to their country, or slaves, who could be sold?
- Antwone Fisher: A child abandoned by his mother comes
into his own in the U.S. Navy
- Auctions of People: In America and the Caribbean,
captured Africans were sold at auction as though they were horses, cattle or
other types of property. See pictures from the U.S. Library of Congress
documenting such events.
- Benjamin Banneker: A former slave, whose Almanac for
1792 was called "an extraordinary effort of genius," wrote a letter to Thomas
Jefferson, reminding the principal author of the American Declaration of
Independence that "all men are created equal"
- Carl Brashear: First African-American Master Navy
Diver
- Celia, a Slave: In 1850, the laws of Missouri,
protecting individuals, did not protect slaves
- "Color Line": Discrimination in Major League
Baseball: As the nineteenth century drew to a close, African-Americans were
forced to play segregated baseball. An "unwritten color line" had developed,
causing great hardships for African-American players. Jackie Robinson broke that
"color line" on April 15, 1947. What caused it to occur in the first
place?
- Diary of a Slave Trader: What was life like aboard a
slave-trading vessel? How did a slaver view his cargo? See excerpts from the
journal of John Newton, a slaver-turned abolitionist.
- Dorie Miller - A Hero Under Fire: Dorie Miller's normal
job, on his U.S. Navy ship, was in the galley. But he did not give normal
responsibilities a second thought on the morning of December 7, 1941.
Demonstrating valor "above and beyond the call of duty," Miller received a Navy
Cross for his "extraordinary courage and disregard for his own personal
safety."
- Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln declares that "slavery is wrong" and issues an Emancipation
Proclamation - the original document, with Lincoln's signature - is linked
in this story
- Enforcing Slave-Trade Abolition: After Parliament
outlawed the slave trade, in 1807, stiff fines were imposed on violators. To
avoid those penalties, illegally operating slavers threw their human cargo
overboard. See the diary of Henry Binstead who witnessed some of the
atrocities.
- Frederick Douglass - From Slave to Leader: Given a
"slave name" at birth, Frederick Douglass learned to read and write. He believed
that education was "the pathway from slavery to freedom." How was this American
slave able to escape? How did he become a highly respected leader?
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