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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
By Laurie Triefeldt
PART ONE OF FOUR — COLLECT ALL FOUR AND MAKE A GIANT POSTER
SLAVERY AND
EMANCIPATION
Annual observance
Black History Month is celebrated
in the United States and Canada
in February. The United Kingdom
observes Black History Month in
October.
The idea of honoring the accomplishments of African-Americans
began with Negro History Week
in 1926. Before this time, AfricanAmericans had largely been
ignored by the history books and
the education system. The observance became known as Black
History Week in the early 1970s.
In 1976, February became Black
History Month.
Handbill advertising a slave auction
in Charleston, S.C.,
in 1769.
End of freedom
Africa
The first African slaves arrived in
Virginia in 1619. Slaves were used
as labor on plantations.
Most slaves worked
in the fields, where
they endured long,
hot hours, often
under the eye of
brutal overseers.
In general, black
slaves were thought
to be subhuman and
inferior to whites.
Shackles
People who wanted to abolish
slavery were called abolitionists.
The antislavery movement in the
United States began in the late
1600s, when Pennsylvania Quakers took a moral stand against
slavery. The abolitionist movement
was at its height in the 1800s.
The railroad
The Underground Railroad was
made up of free blacks and whites
who aided escaped slaves with
food, clothing, guides, information
on safe routes and places to hide.
Aided by a secret network of “stations” and “conductors,” thousands
of blacks escaped slavery.
Fugitives
Most runaways were men between the ages of 16 and 35.
These fugitives usually traveled
(alone or in small groups) at night,
guided by the North Star. Most
headed to the Northern states
and Canada, where slavery was
illegal. But runaways also headed
for the Western Territories, Mexico
and the Caribbean.
Trim here and attach to part two
Harriet Tubman (c. 1820–1913) has gone down
in history as one of the most well-known conductors on the Underground Railroad. After escaping
slavery, she dedicated her life to helping other
runaway slaves find their way north to freedom.
During the Civil War, Tubman volunteered as
a Union spy and scout. She personally
helped more than 300 fugitives find
their way north.
Harriet’s
nickname
was
“Moses.”
As many as 20
million Africans
were brought
to the Americas
by ship. Slave
ships were
large cargo
ships converted
for the purpose
of transporting
slaves. Conditions on a slave
ship were horrible. The people
were chained
together and
packed so tightly
they could barely
move. Food was
in short supply,
and sanitary
conditions were
appalling. Many
slaves committed suicide or
died of disease
before the journey ended.
When Lincoln was elected president, the slave-holding states in
the South declared that they were
leaving the Union and forming
their own nation, the Confederate States of America. The U.S.
federal government (the Union)
considered this an act of treason.
The war began on April 12,1861,
when Confederate forces attacked
and took control of Fort Sumter in
Charleston, S.C.
President Lincoln issued the
Emancipation Proclamation in
September 1862, freeing all slaves
living in states that were fighting the Union. This document fell
short of banning slavery throughout the United States.
When the South was defeated
in 1865, Congress passed three
amendments to the Constitution.
The 13th Amendment banned
slavery, the 14th protected the
rights of blacks as citizens, and
the 15th gave blacks the right to
vote.
Frederick Douglass (c. 1818–1895) is
one of the most famous leaders of the
abolitionist movement. Douglass was
born a slave in Maryland. He escaped
in 1838. A brilliant speaker, he toured
the North with a series of antislavery
lectures. Douglass established an antislavery newspaper called the North Star
in Rochester, N.Y., which he edited for
17 years. He also served as an adviser
to President Lincoln during the Civil
War.
Seceding states
Union states
In 1793, the lieutenant governor of
Upper Canada (today’s Ontario),
John Graves Simcoe, presented
a bill to abolish slavery. When that
bill became law, Canada became
a place of freedom. Canada declared that any blacks who came
to Canada would be free citizens.
Canada also refused to return
runaway slaves to their Southern masters or to allow American
slave hunters into the country. A
slave could be free in the Northern
states, but there was the risk of
recapture and a return to slavery.
For this reason, many fugitives
headed for Canada. It is estimated
that more than 30,000 blacks
emigrated to Canada through the
Underground Railroad between
1830 and 1865. Most settled in the
Great Lakes region.
The Civil War
Cotton
plant
House slaves
tended to have better food and clothing
and often developed
close relationships
with their owners.
Abolitionists
Slaves
were
taken
from this
region.
The African-American experience is full of great
accomplishments and sacrifices. There is much to
celebrate among these people, past and present,
from overcoming slavery, social and civil injustice
to the nurturing of bright minds and great talents.
Safe in Canada
Border states
Seven states
declared secession
before Lincoln
took office:
South Carolina,
Mississippi, Florida,
Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana
and Texas. Virginia, Arkansas,
Tennessee and North Carolina
seceded after the war began.
How would you feel?
Confederate states
VT NH
MN
WI
IO
KS
MO
AR
TX
LA
IL
NY
MI
IN
KY
TN
MS AL
PA
OH
WV VA
NC
SC
GA
FL
ME
MA
RI
CT
NJ
DE
MD
Abraham Lincoln
(1809–1865) was the
16th President of the
United States. Prior to
becoming president
of the United States,
Abraham Lincoln spoke
against the spread of
slavery and proposed
antislavery laws for new
U.S. territories.
Can you imagine life as a slave?
How would you feel if you were
forced to work with only the bare
minimum of food, clothing and
shelter? You would not be allowed to learn to read or write. If
you got sick, no doctor would be
called. Your parents or siblings
might be sold far away, and you
would never see them again. Your
owner could punish you as often
and as severely as he liked. Can
you imagine having no rights or
freedoms, being treated like a
beast of burden rather than a human being? To understand how
wrong slavery is, you only have to
imagine it happening to you.
SOURCES: World Book Encyclopedia, World Book Inc.; Association for the Study of African American Life and History;
www.americaslibrary.gov;
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LEARN ABOUT BLACK HISTORY IN THE NEXT THREE INSTALLMENT OF WORLD OF WONDER