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.
1800-1850: Congressional Power Struggles
The first half of the nineteenth century brought the debate over the legality and morality of the institution of slavery to a dramatic climax.
1801: Abolitionism
Abolitionists tapped into a long history of subtle and overt resistance by African Americans. While denigrated, abused, and enslaved, Black people found ways to celebrate their culture, stay connected to their families and friends, and whenever possible, defy their slave owners and seek their freedom.
1856: The Caning of Charles Sumner
The conflict over slavery reached its zenith during a Senate debate on the floor of the Senate in May 1856.
1877-1965: Jim Crow Laws
When the federal government withdrew its support of Reconstruction in 1876, the period of post-civil war growth for free Black people ended.
1860: Maryland, A Border State
Despite the abolitionist’s efforts, Baltimore reported 87,189 enslaved persons out of a total state population of 687,049 when the U.S. Census was taken in 1860.
1863: The Civil War and Emancipation
The people of Maryland and Baltimore split their allegiance between the Union and the Confederacy during the Civil War.
1865-1877: The Era of Reconstruction
Immediately after the Civil War, what is known as the Reconstruction Congress passed Amendments to the Constitution abolishing slavery and indentured servitude (13th), granting African Americans full citizenship and equal rights under the law (14th), and providing voting protection rights regardless of race, color, or previous status as an enslaved man (15th).
1896: "Separate but Equal"
The effects of Jim Crow laws were compounded by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 which held that racial segregation did not violate the U.S. Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment. Taking a narrow definition of the law, this ruling established the racist “separate but equal” culture that pervaded the South and border states, like Maryland, and that led to gross inequality and violence against African Americans.
1897: W.E.B. Du Bois
In 1897, a rising African American leader William Edward Burghardt Du Bois accepted a position at the historically Black college, Atlanta University. His work challenged prevailing racist views and laid out for the sociological field a more scientifically rigorous method of conducting social research.