Black History Month Presentation

Presentation to Oakes 5th Grade Social Studies Class
Oakes, North Dakota
Feb. 24, 2011

1. Black History Month
Presentation to Oakes, ND 5
th

Grade Social Studies Class
Feb. 24, 2011

2. Introduction
•Black History Month is observed each February &
celebrates achievements of African Americans.
•In February 1926, a man by the name of Dr. Carter
G. Woodson proposed the establishment of "Negro
History Week" to honor the history and
contributions of African Americans to American life.
Dr. Carter G.
Woodson

3. Overview
•Dr. Woodson, known as the "Father of Black
History", chose the second week of February
because it commemorates the birthdays of two men
who greatly affected the African American
community: Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and
Frederick Douglass (February 14). Negro History
Week became Black History Week in the early
1970's. In 1976, the week-long observance was
expanded to a month in honor of the nation's
bicentennial.
Abraham LincolnFredrick Douglas

4. Abolitionists
•Frederick Douglass escaped
from slavery and spoke
around the country and
Europe about the evils of
slavery.
•Harriet Tubman escaped
slavery and then went back
South to help many slaves
escape to freedom on the
Underground Railroad.

Harriet Tubman
Frederick Douglass

5. Civil Rights Leaders
•Rosa Parks is called the “Mother of
the Civil Rights Movement”. One
day after working hard at her job,
she was riding the bus home.
There were laws that black people
couldn’t sit where they wanted on
the bus – they had to sit in the
back. The bus driver asked her to
give up her seat so a white man
could sit down. Rosa said “no” and
was taken to jail.

6. Civil Rights Leaders
•Martin Luther King was a Baptist
preacher in Montgomery, Alabama.
He led a boycott of the city bus
system and this led to the civil rights
movement. He dedicated his life to
achieving equality and justice for all
Americans of all colors. King
believed that peaceful protest was
the best way to bring about social
change. Martin Luther King was
assassinated in 1968.
Martin Luther King

7. Inventors
•Elijah McCoy invented a device for oiling
steam engines in 1872. The term “the
real McCoy” is believed to be a reference
about the reliability of Elijah McCoy’s
invention.
•Garrett Augustus Morgan invented the
first stop light. He sold his invention to
General Electric Company. He also
invented the gas mask that solders in
WWI used.
Elijah McCoy
Garrett Morgan

8. Scientists
Mae Jemison
•Dr. Daniel Hale Williams
performed the first open heart
surgery in 1893.
•Dr. Mae Jemison was the first
black woman in space in 1992.
She traveled in the spaceship
Endeavor.
Daniel Hale Williams

9. •Hank Aaron is a famous
baseball player. In 1974,
he beat Babe Ruth’s home
run record of 715 home
runs. Hank held the
record for 755 home runs
for over 30 years.
Athletes

10. Athletes
•Jesse Owens was a track and field
athlete. He represented the USA at
the 1936 Olympic Games held in
Nazi Germany. Owens won four
gold medals and set a world record
in the long jump. Hitler left the
stadium to avoid having to
congratulate an African-American.
Jesse Owens

11. Marissa’s Family

12. 1850 Census
•Emancipation Proclamation – Jan. 1, 1863,
executive order by President Lincoln freeing 3 million
slaves in our country.

13. 1880 Census

14. Little Africa & The Industrial
Revolution
•Textile plants hired recently
freed slaves because they were
skilled with their hands.
•Freedmen landed jobs with the
railroad & built tracks from
Virginia to Atlanta, Georgia.
•Tom & Harriet Vernon
purchased land in Spartanburg
Co., SC, an area known as
“Little Africa”.
•Marissa’s family still owns this
land over 100 years later!

15. Laurens Co. (SC) Race Riot of 1870
•With the freed slaves beginning to prosper,
members of the Ku Klux Klan began to terrorize
them.
•Things got so bad that a white legislator, Joseph
Crews, gave weapons to the blacks to they could
defend themselves. That was a very brave and
controversial thing to do!
•3 days before the 1870 election, groups of blacks &
whites gathered at the Laurens Co. Courthouse.
Shots were fired and several blacks were killed.

16. 1870 Laurens Co. Race Riot
•For a year, the KKK terrorized
blacks in Laurens & Spartanburg
Counties. Many people were
beaten, including Marissa’s
ancestor Thomas Vernon.
•President Ulysses Grant invoked
martial law & sent in the military
to restore order.
•Trials were held against KKK
members and Thomas Vernon is
listed in the testimony as one of
the men who had been whipped.

17. Conclusion
•Black History Month is a time to remember our past
and celebrate the many achievements of African-
Americans!
•YouTube Video:
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/watch?v=M-93nvfPA74&feature=fvwkrel