INTRODUCTION

The history of people of African descent in this country is complex and long, dating back to the foundations of this country. For most of that history, the lives of African Americans have been wrought with oppression and racism, but despite countless barriers, have contributed so much to the nation’s history and its development.

The major events of African American history are best told in different phases – colonial America to 1877, and 1877 to present – similar to how the study of U.S. history is structured in schools.  The historical narrative is also broken down into subphases, the Civil Rights era into the 1990s, then the most recent past.  This is intentional, since Black history is very much American history, just as most other racial and ethnic groups.

This is their story.