African American History Story Briefs

Descendants of African-Americans who began their lives in America as kidnapped slaves were then deprived of civil rights by "Jim Crow" laws. Leaders inspired others to overcome racial prejudice and legal obstacles. These stories highlight the ups and downs of black history.

When Mamie Till-Bradley sees the disfigured body of her son, she orders the funeral director to put a glass top over the remains but to keep the coffi...

During the trial of Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam - for the murder of Emmett Till - Mose Wright identified the two men as the kidnappers of his great-neph...

The U.S. government did not allow African-Americans to join the U.S. Marine Corps until 1942. The first black Marine was Howard P. Perry.

Frances Adeline Miller Seward, the wife of President Lincoln’s Secretary of State, William Seward, was respected in her own right. Among other t...

Originally owned by Franklin & Armfield, dealers in slaves, this slave pen was located not far from the U.S. Capitol.

After Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat for a white man, and Dr.

During the summer of 1964, university students from various places in the U.S. travel to Mississippi. Their plan is to help register African-Americans...

After Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman went missing - following their release from questioning at Sheriff Lawrence Raineys jail - hundreds of people look...

Paving the way for other activists to integrate Woolworth lunch counters, four African-Americans sat in "whites-only" seats at the Greensboro, North C...

This photo is frequently mistaken as a picture of Homer Plessy.  It is actually Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback (10 May 1837 - 21 December 1921...

Making their point with EXTREMELY graphic depictions of slaves at work (and being punished for daring to rebel or escape), anti-slavery societies did ...

Pee Wee Reese changed the way black baseball players were viewed by fans by befriending Jackie Robinson.

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