A Week in Civil Rights History: From March 3rd to 9th
Black history is full of eventful dates. So much so that a single week from March 3rd to 9th holds an important part in Black History. These were the dates of important events of the civil rights movement. So it is important to know these events. Especially if you’re looking for some of the best black history facts. So join us as we dive into the history of this week and learn all about the Black Revolution.
March 3rd
This date is a date that has many important historical events. In 1821, on this date, Thomas Jennings received the first patent as an African American. He invented a special dry cleaning process. Then, he used his wealth to fund the Black struggle.
In 1960, Vanderbilt University expelled a student for taking part in the Nashville sit-in. This student was James Lawson. He later helped Martin Luther King Jr. by teaching others the basics of non-violence. In 2006, this very institute welcomed Lawson as a Distinguished University Professor.
Later, in 1865, Congress passed a bill that formed the Freedman’s Bureau. So, this bureau was to help African Americans in the South to escape slavery.
March 4th
The following date also holds importance in the history of the Black struggle. In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln came to power. He came to lead a country that was on the brink of a civil war. During his time, seven states withdrew from the States. But after the war ended, Lincoln was back there to reconcile things. But before he could do anything, they assassinated Lincoln.
In 1877, Rutherford B. Hayes took the oath of office and became the President of America. The agreement with the Southern Democrats meant the removal of federal troops from Southern states. Thus, the troops moved, and they imposed new laws in the South. These Jim Crow laws took the right to vote from African Americans. Moreover, it also aimed to bring back racism and sideline the Black community. Hayes was extremely sorry, stating that his aim was to end this racism. But, the racial feelings didn’t change until after World War II.
Later, in 1901, George H. Whites gave up his congress seat. Thus, no African American served in Congress for the following 28 years. This shows the struggle of the Black community over time. It also shows how important the Civil Rights Movement was for African American success.
March 5th
The Black history of 5th March starts from 1770 when British soldiers killed Crispus Attucks. He was the first of the five people that these soldiers killed in the Boston Massacre. This event was the precursor to the American Revolution. Attucks’ roots were both African and Native American.
Almost a century later, in 1846, Macon B. Allen got his license as the first African American lawyer. The bar in Massachusetts admitted him. Thus, he later went on to become the first Black justice of the peace. In 1897, the Rev. Alexander Crummell and W. E. B. Du Bois became the founders of The American Negro Academy in Washington. This academy aimed to bring intellectuals from all over the world to start a scholarship. It was a one-of-a-kind African American society to forward the studies of Blacks.
March 6th
In 1820, the Compromise took Missouri into the Union and labeled it a slave state. Maine also joined the Union but as a free state. The Compromise also set the boundary between slave and free states in the West as the 36th parallel. One of the biggest setbacks came in the Dred Scott v. Sandford trial in 1857. In this trial, the U. S. Supreme Court upheld slavery by a seven v. two vote. They declared that Scott, an escaped slave, could not sue for his freedom in a federal court. This was because they could never consider African Americans as citizens. But rather an inferior or subordinate class of beings.
March 7th
This date holds high importance in the history of the Black struggle. 1871 saw the killing and detention of many African Americans. The killing includes a county supervisor and three other African Americans in Meridian, Miss. Moreover, they arrested three Black activists for making incendiary speeches. Even at the court hearing, gunfire broke out. Thus killing the judge and two defendants. This led to rioting, killing nearly 30 African Americans. Surprisingly, the “killing” included almost all of the leading African American activists of the time.
In 1930, the New York Times agreed to capitalize the word “Negro” after requests from the African American community. Later, in 1960, white men abducted Felton Turner at gunpoint. This was during the sit-in protests in Houston, Texas. The students of Texas Southern University led the protest. The white men beat Turner and carved the initials “KKK” on his chest. After that, they hanged Turner upside down from a tree. Despite the brutal acts, the state never prosecuted anyone.
Five years later, in 1965, the “Bloody Sunday” took place. It was a 54-mile Alabama march from Selma to Montgomery, the capital. Nearly 600 civil rights advocates participated in this march. When the march crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the outskirts of Selma, it met with law enforcement officers. They attacked the marchers with nightsticks, bullwhips, and tear gas. Thus injuring many and fracturing the skull of John Lewis. He was the head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. In the turn of events, this led to the passing of the Voting Rights Act.
March 8th
In 1964, Malcolm X left the “Nation of Islam” and started two new organizations. These were the Muslim Mosque, Inc., and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. After this, he rejected racism and traveled to Mecca. Later, in 1971, African Americans won the Griggs v. Duke Power Co. trial. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled an 8-0 ruling in favor of the African American employees.
Read Thomas Jones latest book to learn more about the Black struggle.
March 9th
In 1839, the U.S. Supreme Court freed the slaves from the Spanish slave ship Amistad. The ruling said that they forced the slaves into slavery. Later, in 1965, two days after “Bloody Sunday,” Martin Luther King Jr. led 1500 enraged people to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. The state troopers confronted them again, but King knelt in prayer. Then, he led his followers back, thus avoiding conflict. This event was later famous as “Turnaround Tuesday”.