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

Welcome to Fort Sumter | Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie
Episode 1

Video

This episode introduces the student to the social history of South Carolina, the rise of Charleston as an important shipping center, and the building of the fort where the Civil War began. It further...
Palmetto Rose | Go For It

Video

From frond to rose, Devyn visits Charleston’s City Market to learn how to fold a Palmetto Rose.
Avery Research Center - Photo Gallery | Let's Go!
Avery Research Center - Photo Gallery | Let's Go!

Photo

This Avery Research Center photo gallery features the following images: The Avery Center Avery Normal Institute Reverend Charles Avery Avery students in library African sculptures Book collections...
Avery Research Center | Let's Go!

Video

The Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture is located on the site of the former Avery Normal Institute. It was a hub for Charleston’s African American community from 1865–1954...
3D VR - Avery Research Center | Let's Go!
3D VR - Avery Research Center | Let's Go!

Interactive

The Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture is located on the site of the former Avery Normal Institute. It was a hub for Charleston’s African American community from 1865–1954...
A Seat at the Table

Video

In 1866 a new Republican Congress defied President Andrew Johnson and began the period known as Radical Reconstruction. Southern states created new constitutions that gave the right to vote to all men...
Teaching Ourselves

Video

The flowers used in this vignette were purchased for the scene and aren’t necessarily native to Alabama. Native wildflowers are sometimes considered weeds, but they play an important role in natural...
Teaching Ourselves

Video

A fugitive slave and an abolitionist, Frederick Douglass sailed to Britain in 1845 and stayed for 19 months. He was a powerful orator, and his antislavery speeches attracted huge crowds...
Teaching Ourselves

Video

These little chalkboards would be used by the students in this class to practice reading, writing and arithmetic. They are a type of tablet, a solid, flat surface that can be written on...