History
We start by tracing the early experience of African Americans in 1619 and overview how racial views from Europe influenced the early structures of governance from the colonies through the founding of the United States to the end of the nineteenth century.
We begin with the arrival of the first African slaves on the North American shores in 1619 and conclude with the resurgence of white supremacy in 2019. While the history section is, for now, complete, we will continuously update the website. The story does not end in 2019.
We hope this historical overview is a first step toward creating a more just and democratic society. As communities organize to advocate for more economic opportunity, community-based policing, and fair access to health care and education, we all benefit from understanding the systems that contributed to the inequalities and biases experienced today.
1752: Baltimore’s Port
Baltimore’s accessible harbor and location at the cross roads of agriculture and international trade made it a prime location for commercial development.
1770: African Ideas of Slavery
Even as the legal system in Maryland and across the colonies moved to deny Africans their rights, Africans themselves retained a vision of resistance that refused to embrace slavery as a permanent institution.
1783: Free and Enslaved Blacks
For Black people the city offered both hope and despair. A growing number of free Black persons moved to take advantage of the jobs offered at the port and in the mills. However, their population grew alongside Black enslaved laborers in Baltimore setting up a constant reminder of the racial hierarchies to which even free Black people remained subject.
1787: The Constitutional Convention
The Constitution was to reflect ideals of liberty and freedom. In reality, for all non-whites it enshrined white dominance in the New World and embedded a racialized system into the DNA of the United States.
1790: The Naturalization Act of 1790
In 1790 Congress passed the Naturalization Act, which restricted citizenship to “any alien, being a free white person” who had been in the United States for two years.