Black History Timeline

1700- 1717

Osei Tutu unifies the Asante (Ashante) Empire of Akan peoples.



1704

February 28. Elias Neau, (a Frenchman), opened a school for African Americans in New York City.



1708

There are more African Americans in South Carolina than Europeans, (it is the first English colony with a black majority).



1712

April 7. In New York City, 21 slaves were executed.



1716-1756

There were a total of 3.5 million slaves in the American colonies.



1720

The rise of the Kingdom of Dahomey.



The Abomey plateau became the capital of Dahomey and the monarchy begins in the 17th century.



1721

Onesimus invents the small pox inoculation.



1731

November 9. Benjamin Banneker, (inventor and scientist) is born in Ellicott's Mills, Maryland.

 

1739

September 9. The Cato revolt was led by a slave named ‘Cato’.  More than 25 whites were killed. As the slaves tried to escape to Florida, more than 30 were captured and executed.



March 1. The British are forced to sign a peace treaty with Maroons.



1743

May 20. Touissant L'Ouverture is born.



1752-1762

Jamaica imported 71,115 slaves.



1758

A school for free African American children is opened in Philadelphia.



 1759-1762

Guadeloupe imported 40,000 slaves.



1766

July 11. Olaudah Equiano buys his freedom.

 

1773

Jeanne Baptiste Pointe de Sable founded the settlement that is now known as Chicago.

 

 

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1775

July 3. Prince Hall founded Africa Lodge No. 1, (the first Black Lodge of Free Masons in the United States).



1776-1800

74,000 slaves a year were imported for the American colonies. The English imported 38,000; French, 20,000; Portuguese, 10,000; Dutch, 4,000; Danes, 2,000.



1777

July 2. Vermont was the first state to abolish slavery.



1781

Los Angeles is founded by fifty-four settlers, of which twenty-six are of African ancestry.

 

 

 

1783

African-Americans establish settlements in Nova Scotia (separate from Whites).



1785

New York frees all slaves who served in the Revolutionary Army.



1787

January 28. Free Africa Society is established in Philadelphia by Richard Allen and Absalom Jones.



October 17. In Massachusetts Prince Hall submitted, a petition asking for equal educational rights, but this was not granted.



November 1. Free African Americans in New York City set up ‘The African Free School of New York City.’



November 18. Sojourner Truth is born.

Speeches be Sojourner Truth



Shaka Zulu is born.

 

 

 

1790

The first Census of the United States

Total population: 3,929,214

African American population: 757,208 (19.3%)

59,557 were free African Americans.



1791

August 22. Toussaint joins the rebel slaves and the Haitian Revolution begins.



Benjamin Banneker publishes the first almanac.



1793

February 12. The first Fugitive Slave Law was passed.



1795

The British seize control of Cape Colony in South Africa from the Dutch.



1797

January 30. Congress refused to accept the first recorded petitions from African-Americans.



March 31. Olaudah Equiano dies in London.



1798

Egypt is conquered by Napoleon.



1800

January 22. Nat Turner is born.

 

 

Nat Turner timeline

The Confessions of Nat Turner



US Census

Total population: 5,308,483

African American population: 1,002.037 (18.9%) 108,435 are free African Americans.

 

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1801-1900