List of African-American historic places explained

The following is a dynamic and expanding list of African-American historic places in the United States and territories that has been documented to be significant in illustrating the experience of the African diaspora in America. Some are local landmarks while others are on the National Register of Historic Places.[1] The stories of the contributions, hardships, and aspirations of all American people can be seen in the experiences of African Americans at these physical locations.[2] The formal preservation of these sites dates back to at least 1917 according to architectural historian Brent Leggs when efforts to save the Gothic Revival home of abolitionist and statesman Frederick Douglass were launched. "Even when it wasn't called 'preservation,' this work was already happening."[1]

The places listed below represent the achievements and struggles of African Americans. Visitors to these sites can gain a better understanding of the events and the people of that time. These places connected across time to create an understanding of what happened and why.[3]

African-American historic places organized by period or topic

This outline has been adapted from other related Wikipedia articles and The Negro Pilgrimage in America by C. Eric Lincoln and Before the Mayflower; A History of the Negro in America; 1619-1964 by Lerone Bennett Jr.

Origins [4]

See main article: African-American history. The Negro Pilgrimage in America or the African Past[5] The story of the African Americans begins in Africa. Early histories of Africa considered it the 'Dark Continent', both in the sense of the color of its people, but also for its lack of known civilizations. Studies beginning in the 1960s have found a rich history of civilization, including arts, architecture, public thought and major civilizations. The story of African Americans builds from these roots and can be traced through historic sites associated with the slave trade in America:


American Revolution [5]

See main article: African Americans in the Revolutionary War. While the term 'American Revolution' connotes only the war period (1776–1783), the entire colonial experience is included. Free Negros were present during early campaigns of the war and throughout the war. In March 1770, Crispus Attucks died during the protest that has become known as the Boston Massacre.[5] At the Battle of Bunker Hill, Peter Salem and Salem Poor, two free Negros valiantly served. Salem Poor was commended for his actions that day.[5]


Slavery[4] [5]

For over 200 years, the American system of slavery held four million people of color in bondage.[5] The effect was felt by all the people of the nation, including black, white, yellow, and red. It was premised on a system of racial supremacy that affected the development of the American Negro and the relationships of all American's with persons of other races.[5]
The first blacks in the new world did not arrive on the slave ship to Jamestown in 1619. Rather, it was Pedro Alonzo Niño, navigator on the Niña the smallest of Christopher Columbus's vessels.[4] From that day, Negros participated in nearly every major Spanish exploration in the new world. Neflo de Olaña and thirty other Negros were with Balboa when they discovered the Pacific Ocean.[4]


Slave revolts and insurrections
In the summer of 1791, Haiti witnessed the first successful slave revolt. This was not the first; it was one in a long series of revolts. Between 1663 and 1864, there were 109 revolts on land and another 55 at sea. Notable early insurrections include the 1712 uprising in New York City and the 1800 attack on Richmond, Virginia known as Gabriel's Rebellion. That same year, Denmark Vesey, a free black, planned to seize Charleston, South Carolina, but was foiled when betrayed.


Abolition crisis
With the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the United States gained a huge western dominion. With it, two aspects of American life came into stark comparison. The first was the expansion of slavery across the southern half of the nation, creating a vast agricultural empire based on a large rural workforce. The second was Manifest Destiny, the expansion of a free society westward across the continent.[4] The economic realities in the south precluded the development of a strong abolitionist base, while the lack of slavery among the industrialized north, neither supported nor abhorred the abolitionist cause.[4] By 1835, William Lloyd Garrison had established The Liberator as the nation's most militant abolitionist newspaper. Over the next 30 years, the north and the south would try to find ways to coexist with two different economic systems and a growing abolitionist movement.[5]


Civil war and emancipation[4] [5]

See main article: Military history of African Americans in the American Civil War. The American Civil War is often seen as a war between white men over the fate of the black man. From the beginning, the African-American peoples played a significant role in the war.[5] As early as July 1861, three months after Fort Sumter, the United States Congress passed the first Confiscation Act, granting freedom to any slave who had been used to support the Confederate war efforts, once they were behind Union Lines.[4] Quickly General Sherman employed this new manpower in the construction of Union facilities from which to prosecute the war.[4] With the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, the First Regiment Louisiana Heavy Artillery and All Negro unit was founded by General B.F. Butler. The War Department quickly authorized the enlistment of Negro soldier with the founding of the Massachusetts Fifty-Fourth and Fifty-Fifth Infantry Regiments. By the end of the war, there were over 150 all-Negro regiments.[4] On September 29, 1864, the Third Division of the Eighteenth Corp of the Army of the James, moved forward to take the New Market Heights outside Richmond, Virginia. The key role in this advance was given to the 'all-Negro' division. By the end of the day, the Union Army would stand on the heights overlooking the city of Richmond with a loss of 584 men and 10 Congressional Medal honorees now in their ranks. This action marked the beginning of the dissolution of the Confederate Government and the end of the war the following April.


Reconstruction-era[4] [5]


Segregation[4] and the rise of Jim Crow[5]

See also: Disfranchisement after Reconstruction era.


Northern Migration [4]

See main article: Great Migration (African American).


Expanding opportunities [4]


Civil rights movement [4] [5]


Cemeteries

The preservation of African-American cemeteries is an integral part of documenting Black history and heritage. Many lands where enslaved or freed black individuals were buried are threatened by development and neglect though new efforts are underway to protect these historic places.[6]

African-American historic places organized by state or territory

Alabama

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbia

See main article: List of African-American historic places in the District of Columbia.

Florida

See main article: List of African American historic places in Florida.

Georgia

See main article: List of African American historic places in Georgia.

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

See main article: List of African American historic places in Mississippi.

Missouri

See main article: List of African American historic places in Missouri.

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

See main article: List of African American historic places in North Carolina.

Ohio

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

Puerto Rico

Rhode Island

South Carolina

See main article: List of African American historic places in South Carolina.

Tennessee

Texas

See main article: List of African American historic places in Texas.

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Virgin Islands

Washington

West Virginia

See main article: List of African American historic places in West Virginia.

Wisconsin

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. The Fight to Preserve African American History. The New Yorker. January 27, 2020. Casey Cep. February 10, 2022.
  2. National Register of Historic Places: African American Historic Places; National Park Service & National Trust for Historic Preservation; The Preservation Press; Washington D.C.; 1994
  3. http://www.nps.gov/history/NR/twhp/whyplaces.htm Teaching with Historic Places
  4. The Negro Pilgrimage in America: C. Eric Lincoln; Bantam Books, New York; 1967
  5. Before the Mayflower: A History of the Negro in American 1619-1964; Lerone Bennett, Jr.; Pelican Books; Baltimore, Maryland; 1964
  6. Web site: H.R.1179 - African-American Burial Grounds Network Act. Congress.Gov. February 13, 2019. December 26, 2021.

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