African American History and Women Timeline

African American History and Women Timeline What have African American women contributed to American history? How have they been affected by historical events? Find out in the timeline, which includes these: events featuring African American womenbirth and death dates for many notable African American womengeneral African American events which had significant impact on African American women and families as well as menevents involving key women whose work influenced African American history, for instance the involvement of many European American women in anti-slavery workbirth and death dates for key women whose work was important in African American history, for instance in anti-slavery or civil rights work Start with the timeline period youre most interested in: [1492-1699]  [1700-1799] [1800-1859] [1860-1869] [1870-1899] [1900-1919] [1920-1929] [1930-1939] [1940-1949] [1950-1959] [1960-1969] [1970-1979] [1980-1989] [1990-1999] [2000-] Women and African American History: 1492-1699 1492 Columbus discovered America, from the perspective of Europeans. Queen Isabella of Spain declared all indigenous peoples her subjects, in the lands claimed by Columbus for Spain, preventing the Spanish conquerors from enslaving the Native Americans. The Spanish thus looked elsewhere for the labor they needed to take advantage of the New Worlds economic opportunities. 1501 Spain permitted African slaves to be sent to the Americas 1511 first African slaves arrived in Hispaniola 1598 Isabel de Olvero, part of the Juan Guerra de Pesa Expedition, helped to colonize what has since become New Mexico 1619 (August 20) 20 men and women from Africa arrived on a slave ship and were sold in the first North American slave auction by British and international custom, Africans could be held in servitude for life, though white Christian indentured servants could only be held for a limited term 1622 Anthony Johnson, son of an African mother, arrived in Virginia. He lived with his wife, Mary Johnson, in Accomack on Virginias Eastern Shore, the first free Negroes in Virginia (Anthony taking his last name from his original master). Anthony and Mary Johnson eventually founded the first free black community in North America, and themselves held servants for life. 1624 Virginia census lists 23 Negroes including some women; ten have no names listed and the rest only first names, likely indicating lifetime servitude none of the women are listed as married 1625 Virginia census lists twelve black men and eleven black women; most have no names and do not have the dates of arrival that most white servants in the census have listed only one of the black men and women has a full name listed 1641 Massachusetts legalized slavery, specifying that a child inherited its status from the mother, rather than the father, reversing English common law about 1648 Tituba born (Salem witch trials figure; probably of Carib not African heritage) 1656 Elizabeth Key, whose mother was a slave and father was a white planter, sued for her freedom, claiming her fathers free status and her baptism as grounds and the courts upheld her claim 1657 A daughter of a free Negro Anthony Johnson, Jone Johnson, was given 100 acres of land by Debeada, an Indian ruler. 1661 Maryland  passed a law making every person of African descent in the colony a slave, including all children of African descent at birth whatever the free or enslaved status of the childs parents. 1662 Virginia House of Burgesses passed a law that a childs status followed the mothers, if the mother was not white, contrary to English common law in which the fathers status determined the childs 1663 Maryland passed a law under which free white women would lose their freedom if they married a black slave, and under which the children of white women and black men became slaves 1664 Maryland became the first of the future states to pass a law making it illegal for free English women to marry Negro slaves 1667 Virginia passed a law stating that baptism  could not free slaves by birth 1668 Virginia legislature declared that free black women were to be taxed, but not white women servants or other white women; that negro women, though permitted to enjoy their freedome could not have the rights of the English. 1670 Virginia passed a law that Negroes or Indians, even those free and baptized, could not purchase any Christians, but could purchase any of their owne nation [race] (i.e. free Africans could buy Africans and Indians could buy Indians) 1688 Aphra Behn (1640-1689, England) published the anti-slavery Oroonoka, or the History of the Royal Slave, first novel in English by a woman 1691 The term white is first used, rather than specific terms like English or Dutchman, in a law referring to English or other white women. 1692 Tituba disappeared from history (Salem witch trials figure; probably of Carib not African heritage) [Next] [1492-1699] [1700-1799] [1800-1859] [1860-1869] [1870-1899] [1900-1919] [1920-1929] [1930-1939] [1940-1949] [1950-1959] [1960-1969] [1970-1979] [1980-1989] [1990-1999] [2000-]