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Barack Obama was the first African-American president of the United States. Here’s a look at other firsts for American Blacks in politics and law
American Blacks in Politics and Law – Timeline
1860s
- 1861 – Civil War begins.
- 1863 – President Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing most slaves.
- 1865 – J.S. Rock Lawyer admitted to practice before U.S. Supreme Court
- 1865 – Rev. Henry Highland Garnet Give a speech in the U.S. Capitol
1870s
- 1870 – Hiram R. Revels U.S. senator (Miss.) Joseph Rainey U.S. Rep. (S.C.)
- 1871 – Jefferson F. Long Speak in House of Representatives as congressman (Ga.)
- 1872 – Charlotte Ray Female lawyer allowed to practice in Washington, D.C.
1910s
- 1911 – William Henry Lewis Appointed to a sub-Cabinet post
1920s
- 1926 – Violette N. Anderson Female lawyer admitted to practice before U.S. Supreme Court
1940s
- 1944 – Harry S. McAlpin Reporter to attend White House press conference
1950s
- 1955 – E. Frederic Morrow Hold an executive position on a president’s staff
1960s
- 1960 – Andrew Hatcher Assistant presidential press secretary
- 1966 – Edward Brooke U.S. senator (first since Reconstruction) (Mass.)
- 1966 – Robert C. Weaver Cabinet secretary (Housing and Urban Development)
- 1967 – Carl Stokes Mayor of a large city (Cleveland)
- 1968 – Shirley Chisholm Female U.S. representative
1970s
- 1977 – Patricia Harris Female Cabinet secretary (HUD*)
- 1977 – Clifford Alexander Jr. Secretary of the Army
1980s
- 1989 – L. Douglas Wilder Elected governor of a state (Va.)
- 1989 – Colin Powell Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
1990s
- 1992 – Carol Moseley Braun Female U.S. senator (Ill.)
2000s
- 2000 – Donna Brazile Manager of a presidential campaign
- 2001 – Condoleezza Rice National security advisor Colin Powell Secretary of State
EVENTS
- 1861 – Civil War begins.
- 1863 – President Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing most slaves.
- 1865 to 1877 – Reconstruction. Constitution amended three times to provide equal rights to Black Americans.
- 1865 – Civil War ends. The 13th Amendment ratified, outlawing slavery.
- 1868 – The 14th Amendment ratified, granting citizenship to any person born or naturalized in the United States.
- 1870 – The 15th Amendment ratified, guaranteeing Black Americans the right to vote.
- 1896 – Plessy vs. Ferguson. Supreme Court decides “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”
- 1954 – Brown vs. Board of Education. Supreme Court finds segregated public schools unconstitutional.
- 1964 – Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion or national origin.
— Karsten Ivey, Sun Sentinel
SOURCES: AFRICAN AMERICAN REGISTRY, U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, INFOPLEASE.COM, BLACKPAST.ORG, TNS
PHOTOS COURTESY OF: TNS, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
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