Round 1 Most students know more about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr than any other African
American in United States history. Therefore, in order for you to become familiar with the format of
the Black History Bee, the questions in this first round are all about the life and achievements of MLK.
1. What was Dr. Martin Luther King’s career?
minister
2. Martin Luther King’s home church was Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. The church still stands
and many tourists visit each year. Which city is this church in?
Montgomery, Alabama
3. In Montgomery, Alabama there is also a Civil Rights Monument designed by the same architect
who designed the Vietnam Memorial in Washing, DC. The monument is 40 names, dates and
places of the Civil Rights Movement etched onto a round black slab of marble. Name one event
that is printed on this monument.
Supreme Court ban segregated seating on Montgomery buses
¼ million Americans macron on Washing for civil rights
Freedom Summer brings 1,000 volunteers to Mississippi
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated
4. What is the term used to describe keeping the races separate from one another in separate
schools, separate restaurants, drinking fountains, restrooms, etc.?
Segregation
5. South Africa became the last country in the world to use laws to keep races segregated from
one another. What was the South African term for segregation?
Apartheid
6. During the United States Civil Rights Movement black protestors would occupy restaurants and
other public buildings that were reserved for whites only. What is this form of protest called?
A sit in
7. In 1955, a black woman refused to give her bus seat to a white man and this action started a
major event of the Civil Rights Movement – the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Who was this
woman?
Rosa Parks
8. Martin Luther King’s philosophy of non-violence was influenced by India’s leader Mahatma
Gandhi. Refusing to use the city bus system to protest Rosa Park’s arrest is what method of
protest?
Boycott
9. Boycotts and sit-ins are non-violent methods of protest. Give one other examples of a nonviolent method to protest.
Marches, petitions, or hunger strikes
10. Mahatma Gandhi use of non-violent protest eventually led to India’s independence from which
European country?
England
11. Martin Luther King, Jr was chosen president of the Montgomery bus boycott committee. During
the year -long boycott of Montgomery’s buses there was violence committed against the
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committee; homes were shot into and bombed including MLK’s. Did MLK respond to this
violence with violence?
No
For approximately one year, 50,000 people boycotted the buses by car -pooling, taking taxis or
walking to work. The success of Montgomery’s bus boycott boosted MLK to instant fame. He
was soon regarded the leader of a movement. What was this movement called?
The Civil Rights movement
The bus boycott resulted in the US Supreme court ruled that Alabama’s segregation laws were
unconstitutional. In celebration, King and others rode the buses throughout the streets of
Montgomery. Where was it now legal for them to sit?
In the front, anywhere they wished
Soon after the bus boycott, Ralph Abernathy and Martin Luther King, Jr. and other black
clergyman created the SCLC in 1957 which used black churches as a base for organizing nonviolent protests. What are clergyman?
People who are church leaders, ministers
These clergymen called their group SCLC. What does the acronym (the initials) stand for?
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
After the bus boycott, the next big project was organizing the March for Equality on August 28,
1963. In which American city did this march take place?
Washington, DC
Over 250,000 (1/4 of a million people) marched to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC up
Independence and Constitution Avenues. The high point of this march was Martin Luther King’s
moving speech. What is the title of this now famous speech?
I have a dream
Unlike many of King’s other speeches, “I have a dream” was prepared in less than an hour.
Recite any one sentence from this speech.
“Jobs and Freedom” were the goals of the March on Washington. The march leaders published a
list of demands or goals for the march. One demand was a national minimum wage, which
would include all workers. What was one of the other demands?
Decent housing, access to public building, integrated education, laws which bars
discrimination by government, employers, trade unions.
The year following the March on Washington, Congress passes the Civil Rights Act of1964. This
act made the separation of the races illegal. What is the term used to describe no longer
separating races?
Integration or desegregation
The first sit in occurred Feb. 1st, 1960 when four African American college students sat down at a
“White only” lunch counter to be served. They were cursed and hit, but yet they remained
seated and returned the following day. Many others did the same at other “White only” lunch
counters. Give one reason why sit-ins worked to finally integrate restaurants throughout the
South.
Assaults against people who are nonviolent makes most observers take sides with the
nonviolent group (and against the violent groups)
22. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial opened to the public on August 22, 2011, after more than
20 years of planning, fund-raising and construction. It is located in West Potomac Park in what
part of the country?
Washington, D.C.
23. Washington D.C., is also home to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
It opened to the public in what year?
2016
24. Nonviolent actions included sit-in, boycotts and marches. These actions during the Civil Rights
Movement won Martin Luther King the highest international prize for peace in 1964. What is
this prize called?
Nobel Peace Prize
25. A day before his assassination King gave a speech now titled, “I have been to the Mountain
Top”, in which he said: “I’ve seen the promise land. I may not get there with you. But, I want you
to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promise land.” What did MLK mean by
this?
I may not be alive but the struggle will continue. We will reach our goal of racial equality
26. 1986 became the first year that the United States celebrated the first national holiday for an
African American. Who is honored on that holiday?
Martin Luther King, Jr.
27. The MLK Federal Holiday Commission encourages people to celebrate the holiday by doing
community service. The Commission would not like this holiday to turn into a shopping day.
Name one other individual we honor with a national holiday.
President Washington or President Lincoln
28. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday is celebrated on King’s birthday in January. Yet Black History
Month is celebrated in February. February was picked to honor the birthdays of Frederick
Douglass and an American President. Which American President?
President Lincoln
29. What does the Dr. title mean in Dr. Martin Luther King’s name?
It means he has a doctorate degree
The next set of questions are in the field of Art and Music
30. African American were major players in music types from ragtime, to jazz to the blues. Name
one other type of music that African Americans influence.
Soul, swing, rock &roll, Motown, rap, spirituals, hip hop
31. This man gained fame as a calypso singer with songs he made famous such as “Day-O”, “Brown
Skin Girl”, “Jamaica Farewell,” and “Banana Boat.” Calypso music originated in the Caribbean
islands and used the steel drum as a major sound. This man was the first to successfully
introduce people in the US to the music of other cultures. Who is this man?
Harry Belafonte
32. Harry Belafonte’s first album “Calypso” in 1955 was the first LP in history to sell a million copies;
it started a calypso craze. Today we buy music on tape or on CD. What is an LP?
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A record (Long Playing Record as compared to a Standard Play Record)
James Reese Europe was the first black bandleader who went to WW1 with the Harlem
Hellfighters – an all-Black unit in the US Military. What type of music did he help popularize?
Jazz
This musician wrote over 1,000 Jazz songs, two of his most famous are “Take the A Train” and
“Sophisticated Lady.” Who is this musician?
Duke Ellington
Gregory Hines is a dancer who has spent much of his life preserving a type of dance. What is this
form of dance his most famous for?
Tap dance
This woman is known in the music world as the “Queen of Soul.” Her most well -known song is
“R-E-S-P-E-C-T,” “Chain of Fools” and “Never loved a man.” She made her first record in the
1950s at the age of 12. Who is this woman?
Aretha Franklin
This woman’s unique singing style made her one of the most famous jazz singers of all time. Her
nickname was Lady Day. Who is this singer?
Billie Holiday
This woman became the first black woman to sing a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera in
New York. She sang in countries all over the world, while in her own country she was denied
opportunities to perform because she was black. A famous historical event was when First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt arranged for her to sing “My Country Tis of Thee” on the steps of the Lincoln
Memorial on Easter Morning in 1939. Who is this singer?
Marian Anderson
Round 2
The questions in this round cover the topics of African American achievements in
education, writing, art and music. This first set of questions are in the field of education and writing.
1. Joseph Cinque was captured in West African and sent to the US as a slave in the 1840s. He led a
revolt aboard the slave ship “Amistad” and returned to Africa to tell his story. There were other
slave ship revolts but very few were successful. Two Caribbean countries had successful slave
revolts. Name one of these countries.
Jamaica and Haiti
2. Fanny Coppin became the first black woman in the United States to receive a college degree.
Fanny Coppin was born a slave, name 1 way that slaves could become free.
Escape or buy their freedom with their master’s permission
3. Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama was founded in 1881 by Booker T. Washington. Name
1 other historically black college or university
Howard, Spelman, Morehouse, Fordham, Florida A&M, Fisk, Shaw, Benedict, Lincoln,
Prairie View A&M, North Carolina A&T
FULL LIST
4. Ossie Davis (the actor) and David Dinkins (the former mayor of New York) are graduates of the
largest black university in the United States. This university is located in Washington DC. Name
this university.
Howard
5. Booker T Washington founded Tuskegee University in 1881 because he believed that the way for
blacks to gain equality with whites was through education. Many African Americans disagreed
with his opinion and argued that blacks should fight for equal treatment in the court system and
on the job. Name the man who famously argued with Booker T. Washington.
WEB DuBois
6. This man escaped slavery and became a journalist and founder of the newspaper the “North
Star”. This man convinced many Northerners during the Civil War to work to abolish slavery, and
he convinced Lincoln to accept blacks into the Union Army. Name this man.
Frederick Douglas
7. Frederick Douglas fought against slavery by writing articles and giving speeches that convinced
people to fight against slavery too. Give the term for someone who fights against slavery.
Abolitionist
8. This man helped organize the NAACP in 1909. He also wrote over 20 books of which the Souls of
Black Folks is best known. He argued with Booker T. Washington about the best way for blacks
to achieve equality with whites. Name this man.
W.E.B DuBois
9. Started in 1909, the NAACP is the oldest civil rights organization in the U.S. What do the initials
NAACP stand for?
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
10. Charles Chesnut is one of the important poets of the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem
Renaissance was a time during the 1920’s and 1930’s when a large number of black writers lived
in the same place (Harlem) and were in contact and supported each other’s work. Name one
other Harlem Renaissance writer.
Langston Hughes, James Weldon John, Zora Neale Hurston, etc.
11. Historians also use the word Renaissance (Which is an Old French word) to define the time in
world history after the Middle Ages (during the 15th and 16th century). What does the word
“Renaissance” mean in English?
Rebirth or awakening
12. An important writer of the Harlem Renaissance is James Weldon Johnson. He was also a leader
of the NAACP. He put in writing the many songs that were sung by slaves during the time of
slavery. What do we call these types of songs?
Spirituals, folk songs
13. James Weldon Johnson also wrote what is sometimes called the “Black National anthem”. What
is the title of that song?
“Lift Every Voice and Sing”
14. Before the Civil War it was illegal for slaves to learn to read and write. Despite this law, slaves
did learn to read and write and some even wrote their own life stories. What is this type of
writing called?
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Autobiography
This woman is the 1880’s owned and reported for the newspaper called the Free Speech in
Memphis, Tenn. She is also the author the Red Record, the first study to document lynching.
Who is this writer?
Ida Wells
This writer is best known for his novel Native Son. His autobiography is called Black Boy which
became a best seller. Who is this writer?
Richard Wright
The woman’s most famous play Raisin in the Sun tells the story of a black’s family’s move into a
white neighborhood in the 1950’s. This play became the 1st African American play to be
produced on Broadway. Who is this writer?
Lorraine Hansberry
Alice Walker is a writer and graduate of Sarah Lawrence College. She won a Pulitzer Prize and an
American Book Award in 1983. In one of her autobiographical stories she tells how she was
blinded in one eye by her brother’s BB gun. She writes “it was then that I began to really see
people and things.” One of her book was made into an award-winning movie in 1986. Give the
title of one of her books.
The Color Purple, Finding the Green Stone
Toni Morrison grew up hearing stories and folklore. In 1988, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize
for her novel Beloved. In 1993, she received literature’s highest honor—the Nobel Prize for
Literature. Give the title of one of her other novels.
Sula, The Bluest Eye, The Song of Solomon, Jazz
The writer’s book Roots won him the Pulitzer Prize in Literature in 1977. He is also famous for
interviewing Malcolm X longer and more often than any other person and for writing the
Autobiography of Malcolm X. Who is this writer?
Alex Haley
This woman is a poet and teacher. Her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings tells of
her childhood in the South during the depression. This writer also wrote and delivered the
inaugural poem at President Clinton’s inauguration in 1992. She appeared regularly on the
children’s television program, “Sesame Street”. Who is this woman?
Maya Angelou
This leader disagreed with King about the best methods to reach the goal of racial equality, but
did work together with King to register voters. Instead of calling for nonviolence, this leader
used the words “by any means necessary.” However, near the end of both of their lives their
methods were more alike than different. This leader is?
Malcolm X
Who said these words: “The greater sin is not bad people doing bad things; it is good people
doing nothing.”
MLK
This woman graduated from Juilliard School in 1993. She won the 2010 Tony Award for Best
Actress in a Play for her role as Rose Maxson in the revival of Fences. In 2015, she became the
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first black woman to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama
Series.
Viola Davis
This Pittsburgh local is a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright. His work includes The Pittsburgh
Cycle which is a series of 10 plays that depict comic and tragic aspects of the African-American
experience in the 20th Century. Who is this playwright?
August Wilson
This man is a world-renowned producer, director, actor, screenwriter, playwright, author,
songwriter, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He became notorious for his plays that he wrote
and starred in under the “Madea” series. Who is this man?
Tyler Perry
This woman is best known as the creator, head writer, executive producer and showrunner of
the television drama Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal, Off the Map, How to Get Away
with Murder, and The Catch. She’s from Chicago, Illinois and a graduate of Dartmouth College.
She has 3 children and has recently published a novel.
a. Shonda Lynn Rhimes
This man is an American film and television producer and director. He produced Monster’s Ball
and directed Precious which won 2 Academy Awards. He also directed The Butler and helped
create the television series Empire. He is openly gay and adopted his biological niece and
nephew. Who is this man?
Lee Daniels
In 2000, the Original Kings of Comedy released a film directed by Spike Lee and featured comedy
routines from Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and this man. This final King of
Comedy went on to have his on television show and star in countless blockbuster films
including: Life, Ocean’s Eleven, Band Santa, Guess Who, Pride, and Mr. 3000. Who is this man?
Bernie Mac (Bernard Jeffrey McCollough)
Round 3
In this round, the questions range in topic from sports to science to politics. This first
set of questions are in the field of sports.
1. This man became the first African American baseball player to play in the major leagues and for
the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was also the first African American to play in the World Series and to
gain admission to the admission to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Who is this athlete?
Jackie Robinson
2. Books, such as Only the Ball was White and The Forgotten Players document the year before
Jackie Robinson desegregated a baseball team. Before Jackie Robinson, blacks played on all
black teams and in their own leagues. What were these leagues called?
Negro Leagues
3. This man in the early 1900’s was the first African American heavyweight boxing champion. Both
Joe Lewis and Muhammad Ali followed in his footsteps. Who was this first African American
boxing champion?
Jack Johnson
4. This man became the first boxer to ever hold the title Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the
world three times. Who is he?
Muhammad Ali
5. Like Malcolm X before him, Muhammad Ali was a follower of the Islamic religion. Both men
changed their names upon joining the Nation of Islam. What was Ali’s former name?
Cassius Clay
6. Joe Louis won the heavyweight boxing title in 1937. He defended his title more than 25 times
before he retired in 1949. Whenever he won, “it was just another lucky night.” All over the
country African Americans turned their radios to hear his fights and gave him a nick name. What
was his nickname?
The Brown Bomber
7. During the Civil Rights Movement Olympic sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos brought
America’s civil rights protests to the 1968 Mexico City Olympics when they lifted their gloved
fists as the American Flag was raised in honor Smith’s 1st place finish. For this action they were
expelled from the Olympic Games. What was the Civil Rights salute called?
The Black Power salute
8. This man played his first game of tennis on segregated “Colored-only” tennis courts but after
graduating from UCLA he entered the record books to become the first African American man to
win the US Open and to win Wimbledon. He was the first black player selected to the United States
Davis Cup team and the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and
the Australian Open. He died after contracting AIDS from a blood transfusion. Who was this
athlete?
Arthur Ashe
9. This woman was a chronic truant in high school and wound up in a home run by the Society of
Prevention of Cruelty to Children. A friend brought her a second-hand tennis racket. She made
history and became the first African American to compete and win at Wimbledon in 1957. She
was the first person of color to win the Grand Slam in the French Open. Also, she was the first person
of color to compete in the women’s professional golf tour. Who was this athlete?
Althea Gibson
10. This baseball player broke Babe Ruth’s record of home runs in 1974. Now has been on the Board
of Directors of Turner Broadcasting, the NAACP, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America. Who is
he?
Hank Aaron
11. This woman competed in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Italy to win 3 Olympic medals and
become the fastest woman runner in the world she says that running helped her overcome a
limp she had from having polio as a child. Name this athlete.
Wilma Rudolph
12. This Olympic athlete competed at the 1936 Games in Berlin, Germany to win 3 gold medals and
set new world records in the broad jump, 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. Name this
athlete.
Jesse Owens
13. With 8 gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles games, 1988 in Seoul and 1992 Barcelona games to
his credit, this man was considered the fastest man in the world and the greatest track start
since Jesse Owens. Who is he?
Carl Lewis
14. At the 2012 London Olympics, this 16-year-old athlete became the US gymnast to secure both
all-around titles, individual and as a team, at the same Games. Who is this athlete?
Gabrielle (Gabby) Douglas
15. The 2016 Olympics in Brazil had many historical moments. This Stanford swimmer made history
by becoming the first African American female swimmer to win an Olympic medal in an
individual event. What is her name?
Simone Manuel
16. This gymnast won gold in the 2016 Olympic individual all-around, vault and floor events, bronze
in balance beam, and a member of the gold medal-winning team dubbed the “Final Five.” She is
also a three-time world all-around champion from 2013-2015. This individual even has a
gymnastic flipped named after her. Who is this gymnast?
Simone Biles
17. This dancer became the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dance in
American Ballet Theatre’s 75- year history on June 30, 2015.
Misty Danielle Copeland
18. Misty did not begin ballet until the age of 13 but immediately caught up and surpassed other
ballerinas of her age. She is said to be a prodigy. What is a prodigy?
A person endowed with exceptional qualities or abilities
19. Usain Bolt is a sprinter from a Caribbean nation. He is the first man to hold both the 100 meters
and 200 meters’ world records since fully automatic time became mandatory. He is a 9 -time
Olympic gold medalist. What country is Usain Bolt from and represent?
Jamaica
The next series of questions are in the field of Science:
20. In 1975, Six students, known as the Chicago Six, attending Purdue University started an
organization to help maintain black engineers in college. This organization’s mission is: to
increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed
professionally, and positively impact the community. What is the name of this organization?
NSBE(Nes-Be) – the National Society of Black Engineers
21. In 1791, the first president of the United States assigned Benjamin Banneker to the team
designing the city of Washington, DC. Name the president who appointed him.
George Washington
22. An African- American surgeon in 1893 performed the first successful heart operation. This
operation was done without the help of x-rays, blood transfusions or breathing aids. These
medical procedures hadn’t been invented yet. What was this doctor’s name?
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams
23. Banneker is known as the first African American scientist and mathematician. From astronomical
observations and math calculations he worked out one of the early predictions of an eclipse of
the sun. What is an eclipse?
The time when the moon covers the view of the sun from earth
24. Banneker published his calculated rising and setting times of the moon, sun and stars in an
almanac in 1971. The fact book became a best seller. Give one reason why people would want
to know the rising and setting times of the moon and sun.
Seamen calculate their positions at sea and also calculate times for low and high tides;
farmers rely on charts for planting times and weather forecasts; other people use them
to keep track of special events
25. This man was the first person to see the North Pole. This explorer was part of Admiral Robert
Peary’s team that explored and mapped the North Pole region. Peary had sent this man ahead
of the team because Peary himself was suffering from frostbite. Name this explorer.
Matthew Alexander Henson
26. Dr. Mae Jemison was the first black female astronaut in space. Guy Bluford and Ronald McNair
were also among the first group of African American astronauts in space. All three traveled in
the space vehicles that can return to earth and be used for more space flights in the future.
What are these space vehicles called?
Space shuttles
27. In 1940, Charles Drew was the medical doctor who discovered the method of storing blood that
we use today. If blood is stored whole as it is, it becomes easily contaminated and no longer
fresh and useable. How do we store blood today as of Drew’s discovery?
We separate the blood plasma (cells and platelets) from the blood
28. In 1902, Justina Ford became the 1st black female doctor in the West. She was famous in Denver,
where they called her “Denver’s Baby Doctor”. She helped deliver more than 7,000 babies
during her career. What is her career (a doctor for babies) called?
Obstetrician or pediatrician
29. Warren Washington is a prominent meteorologist. What is meteorology the study of?
The study of weather
30. Washington developed computer programs that forecast the weather a week into the future.
Prior to his work, meteorologists were only able at best to forecast the weather a day ahead.
Washington has also written extensively on the Greenhouse Effect. What is another name for
the Greenhouse Effect?
Global Warming
31. What is the Greenhouse Effect (global warming)?
The earth is becoming like a greenhouse…becoming warmer. Pollution, deforestation
and gasses are causing the heat from sunlight to stay near the earth.
32. Dr. Roland Scott is called the father of “sickle cell anemia disease research”. Most of the victims
of sickle cell anemia African Americans. (Approx. one in 500 African Americans have this
disease). How is this disease spread?
A person inherits it from his or her parents
33. Anemia means the blood is not carrying oxygen normally. Therefore, the symptoms of sickle cell
anemia range from strokes, organ damage to respiratory infections. Also, because the red blood
cells are different shaped and inflexible they can plug up the blood vessels and bring on attacks
of pain. Why are these red blood cells called sickle cells?
Because they are sickle (or crescent) shaped
The next set of questions are in the field of Politics & Law
34. This man came to New York City from Jamaica in 1916 and founded the Universal Negro
Improvement Association, the weekly newspaper “Negro World,” and the Black Star steamship
line. He also preached economic and political self-determination and said that Blacks should
relocate to Africa because they would never achieve equality in the United States. Malcolm X’s
father was a follower of this man’s Back-to-Africa movement. Who was this man?
Marcus Garvey
35. Marcus Garvey started an organization called UNIA, which became a counterpart to the NAACP.
What do the initials UNIA stand for?
Universal Negro Improvement Association
36. Many African Americans did move “back to Africa”. Which country in Africa did they help
establish?
Liberia
37. This man was a lawyer for the NAACP and successfully fought to change the laws that
segregated schools. He went on to become the first African American justice of the Supreme
Court in 1969. Who was this man?
Thurgood Marshall
38. This woman became the first African American woman elected to the United States Congress in
1968. Name this woman.
Shirley Chisholm
39. In 2012, Barack Obama made history by becoming the first African American president of the
United States of America. Prior to becoming a two term president, what state did he represent
in the US Senate?
Illinois
40. Barack Obama is father to two children, Sasha and Malia, and married to a fellow lawyer.
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama was raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. She
attended 2 prestigious universities prior to beginning her legal career at the law firm Sidley
Austin, where she later met Barack. What are the names of the two universities she attended?
Princeton University and Harvard Law School
41. Chisholm was also the first woman and African American to make a serious bid for the
presidency of the United States. Which man became the first African American man to make a
serious bid for the presidency of the United States?
Jessie Jackson
Round 4
present.
This 4th round of questions is an overview of American History from colonial times to the
1. In 1619, 20 Africans arrived as indentured servants to help establish America’s first non-Native
American town in Virginia. What was the name of this settlement?
Jamestown
2. Give one example how an indentured servant is different from a slave?
Servant gains freedom after a few years of free work; a slave never gets freedom
3. Crispus Attacks, a former slave was the first person killed in the street fight in Boston that
marked the beginning of the Revolutionary War in 1770. What was the name of this first battle?
Boston Massacre
4. In 1843, there existed a network of secret houses that helped escaped slaves run North to
freedom. What is the name given to this secret network?
Underground Railroad
5. Many slaves escaped to live in the country north of the United States. Name this country
Canada
6. Name the woman who organized the Underground Railroad and who people nicknamed Moses.
Harriet Tubman
7. Harriet Tubman was compared to Moses because both helped their people escape from slavery.
Where were Moses’ people enslaved?
In Egypt
8. An American President was also nicknamed Moses for the same reason as Tubman. Who was
this president?
Lincoln
9. In 1847, Frederick Douglass published the first issue of his newspaper. Its purpose was to
convince all Americans that slavery should be abolished. Name Douglass’ newspaper.
The North Star
10. In 1854, Lincoln University became the first black college. Where is Lincoln University located?
Pennsylvania
11. In 1863, President Lincoln signed a Proclamation that abolished slavery in the Confederate
states. He hoped this proclamation would help end the war sooner. What is the name of this
proclamation?
Emancipation Proclamation
12. After the Civil War, the “New Orleans Tribune” began publishing as the first African-American
daily newspaper in the South. Since the paper was in New Orleans, it was published in 2
languages. English and what other language?
French
13. In 1865, the US Congress passed the 13th Amendment which abolished what?
Slavery
14. In 1866, the law was passed granting citizenship to African Americans. What is the name of the
act?
Civil Rights Act of 1866
15. In 1870, the 15th Amendment to the US Constitution passed guaranteeing all male citizens the
right to vote. Name one group of citizens that were still not allowed to vote?
Women
16. In 1870, Hiram Reveis of Mississippi became the first African-American Congressman elected to
the senate. What do we call our representative in the senate?
Senators
17. 1872, Charlotte Ray becomes the first African American female lawyer in the United States.
What is the name of the first African American judge on the Supreme Court?
Thurgood Marshall
18. In 1881, Tuskegee University opened. Who was the University’s first president and founder?
Booker T. Washington
19. In 1896, the Supreme Court upheld the “separate but equal” law when it ruled that laws that
separate people on the basis of race did not violate the US Constitution. What is the name of
the Supreme Court case?
Plessy v. Feurgeson
20. In 1909, this man helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored people
(NAACP) on the 100th birthday of Abraham Lincoln. Who was this man?
W.E.B. DuBois
21. In 1927, these basketball players organized the first all-black basketball team. What did they call
their team?
The Harlem Globetrotters
22. In 1954, the US Supreme Court was unanimous in its decision that racial segregation in public
schools in unconstitutional. What is the name of this famous case?
Brown vs. Board of Education, Topeka Kansas
23. In 1963, more than ¼ million Americans joined the March on Washington. Name one of the
goals of the march.
Racial desegregation, equality in houses, wages, jobs
24. In 1965, the prominent leader of the Nation of Islam (Black Muslims) was assassinated in NYC.
Who was this leader?
Malcolm X