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

Modjeska Simkins, Civil Rights Advocate | Periscope
Modjeska Simkins, Civil Rights Advocate | Periscope
Episode 6

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In the 1950s, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. became known as the leader of the civil rights movement. More than 20 years before Dr. King, Modjeska Simkins began her own work for the civil rights of...
Bethune-Cookman College | Periscope
Bethune-Cookman College | Periscope
Episode 5

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Mary continued to open more schools, created a hospital and promoted voting rights for African Americans. President Franklin D. Roosevelt invited her to become an advisor in 1936. Her job required her...
Bethune School | Periscope
Bethune School | Periscope
Episode 4

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In 1904, Mary McLeod Bethune began a school for poor African American children in Daytona, Florida. With only $1.50 to start the school, she had to be very creative. The desks were made from packing...
Mary McLeod Bethune, Educator | Periscope
Mary McLeod Bethune, Educator | Periscope
Episode 3

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At a time when there were few educational opportunities for African Americans, Mary McLeod Bethune created schools and a thriving college for them. Mary was born in Mayesville, South Carolina to freed...
A Daring Escape: The Planter | Periscope
A Daring Escape: The Planter | Periscope
Episode 2

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On the evening of May 12, 1862, the captain and officers of the Planter left the ship to spend the night on the shore. Robert and the rest of the slave crew had to stay on board under captain's orders...
Robert Smalls | Periscope
Robert Smalls | Periscope
Episode 1

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In 1839, Robert Smalls was born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina. As a slave, he worked in the Charleston shipyards. After learning the local harbor and surrounding waters, 23-year-old Robert...
Ruby Bridges  | Periscope
Ruby Bridges | Periscope
Episode 5

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Ruby still lives in New Orleans. She runs the Ruby Bridges Foundation to help troubled children at William Frantz and other schools. With the group, Ruby travels the country advocating the importance...
Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles | Periscope
Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles | Periscope
Episode 4

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Ruby's friend, psychiatrist Dr. Robert Coles, wrote "The Story of Ruby Bridges." At William Frantz, Ruby attended an empty classroom. Some parents refused to let their children go to the integrated...
Policemen & Federal Marshals | Periscope
Policemen & Federal Marshals | Periscope
Episode 3

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By the time Ruby was six years old, there were new laws stating that African American and white students had to integrate, or share, schools. People such as Martin Luther King, Jr. had worked for...