James Forten, Jr. was the son of Charlotte and James E. Forten, prominent Philadelphia abolitionists and as such was part of a second generation of three generations of political activists. Raised in this remarkable family, James Forten, Jr., became politically active at an early age. … Read More(1836) James Forten, Jr. “Put on the Armour of Righteousness”
By the 1830s William Whipper was a successful Pennsylvania lumberman. He was also an abolitionist and temperance advocate. Whipper’s interest in temperance reflected a growing concern among African American leaders about the impact of alcohol on the free (and enslaved) African American population. By 1831 … Read More(1834) William Whipper, “The Slavery of Intemperance”
On August 10, 1817, James Forten and Russel Perrott served as chairman and secretary of a large indignation meeting of Philadelphia’s free African American community. The gathering protested the efforts of the year-old American Colonization Society to recruit blacks to leave the United States for … Read More(1817) J. Forten & Russel Perrott, “An Address To The Humane & Benevolent Inhabitants Of The City And County Of Philadelphia
It is believed that linguist Joseph Roye Applegate spoke as at least 13 languages and had reading knowledge of several others. He was born to parents who operated a boarding house in Wildwood, New Jersey on December 4, 1925. When his family moved to Philadelphia … Read MoreJoseph R. Applegate (1925-2003)
Theophilus G. Steward, African Methodist Episcopal minister, U.S. Army chaplain, and historian, was born April 17, 1843 in Bridgeton, New Jersey. Publicly educated, he entered the ministry in 1864 and immediately sought to “go South.” His wishes were granted in May 1865 and he departed … Read MoreTheophilus Gould Steward (1843-1924)
Peter Lester moved with his wife Nancy and five children to San Francisco from Philadelphia in 1850, where he was appalled to find that slavery was still a fact of life in the free state of California. In an attempt to do something about this, … Read MorePeter Lester (1814- ? )
Thurgood Marshall was an American civil rights activist with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. He is remembered as a lawyer who had one of the … Read MoreThurgood Marshall (1908-1993)
Politician and educator, Thomas E. Miller was born in Ferrebeeville, Beaufort County, South Carolina on June 17, 1849. Miller was the son of free black parents, and moved with them to Charleston, South Carolina in 1851 where he attended the all-black schools in the city. … Read MoreThomas E. Miller (1849-1938)
John Gibbs St. Clair Drake was an American anthropologist and sociologist and the founding Director of Stanford University’s African and African American Studies Department in 1968. Drake was born in Suffolk, Virginia on January 2, 1911. Drake’s father immigrated to the United States from the … Read MoreSt. Clair Drake (1911-1990)
Salem Poor was a Patriot of the American Revolutionary War, credited primarily for his participation at the Battle of Breed’s Hill now popularly known as The Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. This battle is considered the first major conflict between Patriot forces … Read MoreSalem Poor (1747-1802)
