- Slavery in the United States began in the early 1600s, when the first African slaves were brought to the colonies.
- By the time of the American Revolution, there were over half a million slaves in the country.
- Slavery was legal in the Southern states until the end of the Civil War in 1865.
- The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery.
History of African Americans in the United States
- The first Africans arrived in the New World in the early 1500s.
- They were brought to the Americas as slaves to work on plantations and farms.
- Following the Civil War, African Americans became free citizens and gained civil rights under the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the US Constitution.
- However, they continued to face discrimination and segregation.
- The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s fought for an end to segregation and racial discrimination.