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

African American Contributions | Hanover House
Episode 3

Video

William Hiott and Patrick McMillan discuss the contributions made by African Americans. When Paul de St. Julien died in 1741, he owned forty-five slaves. Most of the profit which came from St. Julien...
Brown, Morris | South Carolina Public Radio

Audio

"B" is for Brown, Morris (1770-1849). Clergyman. Brown, a free mulatto, was born in Charleston. He received a license to preach as a Methodist lay preacher and organized an African congregation in...
Sue Monk Kidd

Video

Meet Sue Monk Kidd, author of “The Secret Life Of Bees.” With over six million copies of her novel sold, along with a major motion picture, Monk became a literary sensation. Monk briefly talks about...
Tuskegee Airmen - Teacher Resources
Tuskegee Airmen - Teacher Resources

Document

In 1941, the Tuskegee Airmen, an all African American flying squadron was established in Tuskegee, Alabama. The purpose of this Army Air Corps program was to train African Americans to fly and...
Road Trip - Teacher Resources
Road Trip - Teacher Resources

Document

Road Trip includes video tours of historical places in South Carolina and videos about important events from the civil rights movement. The modern Civil Rights Movement began in the 1940s and many...
Orangeburg Massacre: Remembrances & Reckoning, Part 1
Episode 1

Video

Fifty years have passed since the tragic Orangeburg Massacre occurred at South Carolina State College. With the protests at the All Star Bowling Alley mere days before, no one anticipated the massacre...
Orangeburg Massacre: Remembrances & Reckoning, Part 3
Episode 3

Video

Another one of the students who was present at the night of the shooting was Emma McCain. Dr. McCain was beaten by police officers that night, and now she offers her recollections of that tragic night...