THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Historic Events In July And August

Make Black History a part of your daily conversations — that’s how we will preserve the culture. Just 10 minutes per day sharing information with family and friends about new history you learned will encourage them to do research and share back with you. You can get your information from many resources, starting here with just a few important facts that transpired in history during the months of July and August.

JULY

1852 - On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass gave a speech that is now known as the “What To The Slave Is The 4th Of July” speech. Douglass was asked to give a speech on July 4 during a commemoration of the Declaration of Independence. However, he chose to give one on July 5 instead. When Douglass gave his speech, he acknowledged the signers of the Declaration of Independence but he made it clear that there was too much work to be done before the 4th of July would be a day of celebration for Blacks.

1905 – A group of Black activists and intellectuals met on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls to discuss the issue of civil liberties for African Americans. That meeting was the start of The Niagara Movement. The group had planned to meet on the New York side of the Falls, but were forced to change location after being denied accommodations. The organization, formed by W.E.B Du Bois (l) and William Monroe Trotter (r), was made up of critics of Booker T. Washington, President of Tuskegee Institute. During this period, Washington was viewed by most as the authority figure on issues that concerned Black Ameri cans. Washington’s view that Black Americans should help themselves, while being patient and accommodating, was denounced by members of the Niagara Movement, who demanded that blacks be granted the same rights and liberties as whites.

1943 - The Tuskegee Airmen had its first aerial victory when Lieutenant Charles B. Hall, of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, shot down a German fighter plane.

1943 - Althea Gibson became the first Black woman to win the tennis championship at Wimbledon.

1975 - Arthur Ashe became the first Black man to win the tennis championship at Wimbledon.

August

1936 - Jesse Owens won three Gold Medals in the Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany.

1955 - Emmett Till is Murdered in Mississippi. The 14-year old African-American boy was brutally killed by white men after he was allegedly reported have flirted with a white woman a day before. Till, who was from Chicago, was visiting family in Money, Mississippi, when he was kidnapped, mutilated, and his body dumped into the river.

1963 - On August 28, 1963 approximately 250,000 people gathered in Washington DC for a peaceful demonstration to promote civil rights and equality for African Americans. Dr. Martin Luther King delivered the famous “I Have a Dream” speech here. The historic speech that was a call to end racism in the United States was given in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, a political rally organized by human and political rights groups. Over 200,000 people gathered in Washington DC to demand jobs and equality for African-Americans. The I Have a Dream speech by Dr. King became a symbol of the American civil rights movement and is one of the most recognizable speeches in recorded history.