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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

Content Type
Civil Rights Glossary  | Road Trip!

Document

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Civil Rights Glossary | Road Trip!
CIVIL RIGHTS - The rights of individuals to be free from unfair or unequal treatment (discrimination) in a number of settings, when that negative treatment is based on the individual's race, gender...
The "Mosquito Fleet" | History Of SC Slide Collection

Photo

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The "Mosquito Fleet" | History Of SC Slide Collection
Episode 4
A small fleet of agile boats owned and operated by members of the African-American community in and around Charleston came to be known as the "Mosquito Fleet." They provided a number of essential...
African Americans In The Confederate Army | Walter Edgar's Journal
 - Episode 2 The Dogs Of War (Full Version)

Audio

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The Dogs Of War (Full Version)
Episode 6
Dr. Emory Thomas, the Regents Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Georgia, joins Dr. Edgar for a discussion of the Civil War in this 150th year anniversary of its beginning. Thomas has...
 Piano Music During The Civil War Era (Full Version)

Audio

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Piano Music During The Civil War Era (Full Version)
Episode 8
The American Civil War shaped every aspect of life in the South, including music. Along with songs and military band music published in the South during the war, a considerable repertoire of solo...
The Cherished Family Piano | Walter Edgar's Journal
 - Episode 7 Thomas

Audio

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Thomas "Blind Tom" Wiggins | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 1
In this first segment on Civil War piano music, Dr. David B. Thompson briefly discusses the life of African American composer Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins, and plays one of his works.
 Mary Chesnut's Scrapbook  | Walter Edgar's Journal

Audio

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Mary Chesnut's Scrapbook | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 2
Dr. Julia Stern discusses writing her book Mary Chesnut’s Civil War Epic, and recounts meeting the descendants of Mary Chesnut, along with seeing Chesnut’s personal photo album, containing photos of...
 The Shift In Cultural Weather  | Walter Edgar's Journal

Audio

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The Shift In Cultural Weather | Walter Edgar's Journal
Episode 3
Dr. Stern goes into the South’s reaction to the Witherspoon Murder, and how people in the South were cautious regarding the threat of slave rebellions. She then analyzes Mary Chesnut’s use of the...
The Boll Weevil | History of SC Slide Collection

Photo

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The Boll Weevil | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 3
Woodcut by Anna Heyward Taylor of a boll weevil. As early as 1728, a cotton weevil was reported in North Carolina, but the pest now known by the name of "boll weevil" did not become a major threat to...
 Vesta Mills | South Carolina Public Radio

Audio

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Vesta Mills | South Carolina Public Radio
“V” is for Vesta Mills of Charleston. In 1899, Spartanburg textile manufacturer John Montgomery and New York merchant Seth Milliken purchased the Charleston Cotton Mills and renamed it Vesta Mills...
Anderson Independent Mail | South Carolina Public Radio Atlantic Beach | South Carolina Public Radio

Audio

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  • Higher Education
Atlantic Beach | South Carolina Public Radio
“A” is for Atlantic Beach. [Horry County; population 351]. A historically black beach community, Atlantic Beach is located fifteen miles north of Myrtle Beach. Atlantic Beach flourished during the...