African American History

Learn about the achievements of African Americans who have shaped South Carolina and American history.

Black History Month is celebrated every February to honor the achievements of African Americans who have shaped American history. Historian Carter G. Woodson hoped to raise awareness of African American's contributions to civilization by establishing Negro History Week. The event was first celebrated during a week in February 1926 that included both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass' birthdays. The week was later expanded to a month in 1976 during the United States bicentennial.

PHOTO: On March 20, 1969, Black hospital workers at the Medical College of South Carolina in Charleston went on strike to protest the firing of twelve employees and to call for higher wages and union recognition.

Within this Collection

Richard Fields | SC African American History Calendar
Episode 4

Video

Judge Richard E. Fields was born and raised in Charleston, S.C. He attended high school at the Avery Institute, graduated from West Virginia State College in 1944, and earned his law degree in 1947...
Mignon Clyburn | SC African American History Calendar
Episode 3

Video

Mignon L. Clyburn became the first woman head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) when she was appointed Acting Chair by President Barack Obama in May 2013. She was also the first African...
A History of Fort Frederick | Digital Shorts

Video

280 years ago, the colonial government in Port Royal conceded to the settlers’ demands for a new fort for protection from a Spanish incursion. Although its original mission was short-lived, in 1863...
Fort Frederick, Chapter 7
Episode 7

Video

The enslaved are freed. Old Fort Frederick becomes the site of one of the most important moments in American history. Quotations from historians featured in this segment include: "Miss Laura Towne...
Fort Frederick, Chapter 5
Episode 5

Video

The fort holds clues to the lives of the enslaved men, women and children who built the South.