A presentation for Black History Month 2013 that will be on display on the first floor of Franklin Library, Fisk University throughout the month of February. This file was updated on February 21, 2013. As seen by the sources on the last page of the presentation, there are a selection of songs and speech excerpts that play along with this but could not be uploaded here. I apologize for the inconvenience.

1. Celebrating Black History Month 2013
More to explore: www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/

2. There was once a time here
in the United States of
America…

when people were sold as
property.

3. To be sold. . .a cargo of 170 prime young likely healthy Guinea slaves. Savannah, July 25, 1774. Copyprint
of a broadside. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-16876 (1-2)

4. $200 Reward. Ranaway from the subscriber . . . Five Negro Slaves. Broadside. 1847. Rare Book
and Special Collections Division. (1-16)

5. July 4, 1776
The Declaration of Independence
was adopted…

but a section denouncing the
slave trade was deleted.
Bennett, Lerone, Jr. Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America (Chicago: Johnson Publishing, 1987), 446.

6. Not everyone agreed
with slavery…

there were appeals,
rebellions, mutinies…

7. The Confessions of Nat Turner, the Leader of the Late An Account of Some of the Principal Slave Insurrections . .
Insurrection in Southampton, Virginia . . ., . . Compiled by Joshua Coffin.
Richmond: Thomas R. Gray, 1832. Rare Book and New York: The American Anti-slavery Society, 1860.
Special Collections Division. (1-8) Rare Book and Special Collections Division. (1-19)

8. There were also
abolitionists and the
Underground Railroad …
The Slave's Friend, Volume II, p. 3 New York: American
"Outrage," February 2, 1837 Handbill Rare Book
Anti-Slavery Society, 1836 Rare Book and Special
and Special Collections Division (41)
Collections Division (37)

9. Sojourner Truth. Carte de visite (seated), 1864. Sarah H. Bradford. Harriet, the Moses of Her People.
Gladstone Collection, Prints and Photographs New York: J. J. Little & Co., 1901. Susan B. Anthony
Division. Reproduction Number: LC-USZC4-6165 Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division.
(3-11b) (3-21)

10. Finally…
January 1, 1863

2 years into the
American Civil War…

11. LC-DIG-pga-02797, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

12. Photograph copy of President Abraham Lincoln's draft of the final Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863. Original
destroyed in the Chicago fire of 1871. The Robert Todd Lincoln Family Papers, Manuscript Division. Pages 1-2.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/almtime.html

13. Photograph copy of President Abraham Lincoln's draft of the final Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863. Original
destroyed in the Chicago fire of 1871. The Robert Todd Lincoln Family Papers, Manuscript Division. Pages 3-4.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/almtime.html

14. Perspectives on The
Emancipation Proclamation

“the first step on the part of the nation in its departure from
the thraldom of the ages.“
Frederick Douglass
“The trenchant observation by Douglass that the Emancipation
Proclamation was but the first step could not have been more
accurate. Although the Presidential decree would not free
slaves in areas where the United States could not enforce the
Proclamation, it sent a mighty signal both to the slaves and to
the Confederacy that enslavement would no longer be
tolerated.”
John Hope Franklin
Excerpts from: Franklin, John Hope, “The Emancipation Proclamation, An Act of Justice,” Prologue Magazine, 25.2,
Summer 1993, http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1993/summer/emancipation-
proclamation.html

15. 
But the Emancipation
Proclamation did not free
the slaves…
that took 2 more years.

16. December 18, 1865

Thirteenth Amendment
abolished slavery
Bennett, Lerone, Jr. Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America (Chicago: Johnson Publishing, 1987), 475.

17. Thomas Nast. Emancipation. Philadelphia: S. Bott, 1865. Wood engraving. Prints and
Photographs Division. Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-2573 (5-9)

18. 
After 12 years of progress
during Reconstruction …
racism was still rampant.

19. 
“Jim Crow” and Segregation
vs.
Anti-Lynching Campaigns
and Sit-ins

20. “A terrible blot on American civilization. 3424 lynchings in 33 years ... Prepared by the Committee on public affairs
The Inter-fraternal council. Issued by District of Columbia anti-lynching committee North eastern federation of
Colored women's,” Washington, 1922, Library of Congress Printed Ephemera Collection; Portfolio 208, Folder 36.

21. George W. McLaurin, 1948. Gelatin silver print. Visual Materials from the
NAACP Records, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (47)
Digital ID# cph 3c16927 Courtesy of the NAACP
“Outrage! [from newspaper],” Union 12, no.
49 (12/14/1918): 01, Newspaper Roll #8847.

22. Woman fingerprinted. Mrs. Rosa Parks,
Negro seamstress, whose refusal to move to
the back of a bus touched off the bus boycott
in Montgomery, Ala. New York World-
Telegram & Sun Collection. 1956. Prints &
Photographs Division. Reproduction
Number: LC-USZ62-109643
Rosa Parks rode at the front of a Illustration of bus where Rosa Parks sat, December 1, 1955. Civil Case
Montgomery, Alabama, bus on the day the 1147. Browder, et al v. Gayle, et. al; U.S. District Court for Middle
Supreme Court's ban on segregation of the District of Alabama, Northern (Montgomery) Division
city's buses took effect. A year earlier, she Record Group 21: Records of the District Court of the United States
had been arrested for refusing to give up her National Archives and Records Administration-Southeast Region,
seat on a bus. East Point, GA. ARC Identifier 596069
http://www.ushistory.org/us/54b.asp

23. Agitators attack a sit-in demonstrator in downtown Nashville, February 27, 1960. Photo by Vic
Cooley, Nashville Banner.
The Civil Rights Collection of the Nashville Public Library
(http://www.library.nashville.org/civilrights/photos.htm)

24. 
100 years after the
Emancipation Proclamation…
It is 1963 and just under 10 years into the Civil Rights Movement.

25. “Until justice is blind, until education is unaware of
race, until opportunity is unconcerned with the color of
men's skins, emancipation will be a proclamation but
not a fact.”
Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson
“Surely, in 1963, 100 years after emancipation, it should
not be necessary for any American citizen to
demonstrate in the streets for an opportunity to stop at
a hotel, or eat at a lunch counter . . . on the same terms
as any other customer.”
President John F. Kennedy
Excerpts from: Franklin, John Hope, “The Emancipation Proclamation, An Act of Justice,” Prologue Magazine,
25.2, Summer 1993, http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1993/summer/emancipation-
proclamation.html

26. 
But it was necessary…

27. Demonstration on Church Street at a site of present Nashville Public Library. Photo by J.T.
Phillips, The Tennessean.
The Civil Rights Collection of the Nashville Public Library
(http://www.library.nashville.org/civilrights/photos.htm)

28. Civil rights leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., (front row, second from left), A. Philip Randolph (front
row, far right), and Roy Wilkins (front row, second from right) lead the March on Washington for Jobs and
Freedom on August 28, 1963.
National Archives, Records of the U.S. Information Agency (http://www.digitalvaults.org/record/289.html)

29. March on Washington , August 28, 1963.
Miscellaneous Subjects, Staff and Stringer Photographs, National Archives, Records of the U.S. Information Agency,
Record Group 306 (ARC ID 542045), http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/documented-rights/exhibit/section4/

30. “I Have A Dream” Speech, March on Washington, August 28, 1963.
U.S. News and World Report Photograph Collection, Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction Number: LC-U9-10360-
23 (9-13), http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/odyssey/archive/09/0913001r.jpg

31. August 28, 1963,
“I Have A Dream”

“Five score years ago, a great American, …
signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This
momentous decree … came as a joyous
daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
… But one hundred years later, the Negro still is
not free.”
Copyright 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. Excerpts from National Archives and Records Administration:
http://www.archives.gov/press/exhibits/dream-speech.pdf

32. August 28, 1963,
“I Have A Dream”

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and
live out the true meaning of its creed: „We hold these truths
to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.‟
I have a dream that one day, … little black boys and black
girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and
white girls as sisters and brothers. … let freedom ring!”
Copyright 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. Excerpts from National Archives and Records Administration:
http://www.archives.gov/press/exhibits/dream-speech.pdf

33. August 28, 1963,
“I Have A Dream”

 READ the full text at the National Archives and Records
Administration:
http://www.archives.gov/press/exhibits/dream-
speech.pdf
 LISTEN to the speech at the Internet Archive:
http://archive.org/details/MLKDream
 WATCH the speech at Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/16/i-have-a-
dream-speech-text-martin-luther-king-jr_n_1207734.html
 Purchase the video at TheKingCenter.org or Amazon.com.

34. Perspectives on
Modern Freedom

“The law itself is no longer an obstruction to
justice and equality, but it is the people who live
under the law who are themselves an obvious
obstruction to justice. One can only hope that
sooner rather than later we can all find the
courage to live under the spirit of the
Emancipation Proclamation and under the laws
that flowed from its inspiration.”
John Hope Franklin
Excerpts from: Franklin, John Hope, “The Emancipation Proclamation, An Act of Justice,” Prologue
Magazine, 25.2, Summer 1993,
http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1993/summer/emancipation-proclamation.html

35. And now in 2013,
150 years after the
EMANCIPATION
PROCLAMATION…

50 years after the
MARCH ON
WASHINGTON…

36. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administers the oath of office to President Barack Obama during the official swearing-in ceremony in the Blue
Room of the White House on Inauguration Day, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013. First Lady Michelle Obama, holding the Robinson family Bible, and daughters
Malia and Sasha stand with the President. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/photogallery/inauguration-president-barack-obama-and-vice-president-joe-biden

37. January 21, 2013

The SECOND
Presidential Inauguration
of Barack H. Obama

38. President Barack Obama

 The first African American U.S. President
 Elected for a second term, the maximum term
length for any modern President
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts
administers the oath of office to President
Barack Obama during the inaugural
swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in
Washington, D.C., Jan. 21, 2013. First Lady
Michelle Obama holds a Bible that
belonged to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and
the Lincoln Bible, which was used at
President Obama‟s 2009 inaugural
ceremony. Daughters Malia and Sasha
stand with their parents. (Official White
House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-
video/photogallery/inauguration-
president-barack-obama-and-vice-
president-joe-biden

39. President Barack Obama‟s
Inaugural Address

“We, the people, declare today that the most evident
of truths –- that all of us are created equal –- is the star
that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears
through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just
as it guided all those men and women, sung and
unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to
hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear
a King proclaim that our individual freedom is
inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on
Earth.”
Excerpts from the 2013 Inaugural Address: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-
office/2013/01/21/inaugural-address-president-barack-obama

40. President Barack Obama‟s
Inaugural Address

“It is now our generation‟s task to carry on what
those pioneers began …to make these words,
these rights, these values of life and liberty and
the pursuit of happiness real for every
American.”
Excerpts from the 2013 Inaugural Address: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-
office/2013/01/21/inaugural-address-president-barack-obama

41. President Barack Obama‟s
Inaugural Address

WATCH or READ the entire
address at the White House
website:
http://www.whitehouse.gov
/blog/inaugural-address/

42. Are you interested in reading more or browsing images?
Follow the links or search the terms.

African American
Digital Collections:

43. National Archives and
Records Administration (NARA)

 Emancipation Proclamation:
www.archives/gov/exhibits/featur
ed_documents/emancipation_procla
mation
 Documented Rights:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/
documented-rights/
(image from website)

44. Library of Congress
American Memory Project

 From Slavery to Freedom, The African-American Pamphlet
Collection:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aapchtml/aapchome.ht
ml
 African American Odyssey:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aointro
.html
(image from website)

45. Civil Rights Digital Library:
http://crdl.usg.edu/

A virtual library including but
not limited to videos, images,
and documents, on the Civil
Rights Movement that connects
related digital collections on a
national scale.
(image from website)

46. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Digital Archive:
www.thekingcenter.org/archive

“The King Center
Imaging Project
brings the works
and papers of Dr.
Martin Luther
King, Jr. to a digital
generation.” Guenther Jacobs from Germany sends
Dr. King a photo for him to autograph.
(image from website)

47. Meanwhile, in Tennessee

 Andrew Johnson and Emancipation:
http://www.nps.gov/anjo/historyculture/johnson
-and-tn-emancipation.htm
 Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, TN (some images
available online):
http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/

48. Nashville Public Library

The Civil Rights Movement in Nashville:
http://www.library.nashville.org/civilrights/home.html
(image from website)

49. Tennessee State
Library and Archives

Newly expanded online exhibit:
http://tn.gov/tsla/exhibits/blackhistory/index.htm
(image from website)

50. Celebrate!

Black History Month 2013
Nashville, Tennessee

51. Celebrate Black History Month 2013:
Nashville Public Library exhibit

The Civil Rights Collection is displayed on the 2nd
floor of the Main branch.

52. Celebrate Black History Month 2013:
Tennessee State Museum exhibits

 The Civil War and Reconstruction
 Permanent exhibit
 Discovering the Civil War
 Opens February 12
(Free admission)

53. Celebrate Black History Month 2013:
Tennessee State Museum exhibits

 Emancipation Proclamation viewing
 February 12-15, 9:00am – 7:00pm
 February 16-18, 10:00am – 8:00pm
 Admission is free, but reservations are
suggested
 Call 615-782-4040 or go to www.tpac.org
 13th Amendment on display until August 2013

54. Celebrate Black History Month 2013:
Tuesday, February 5

 4:30pm Evolution of Hip Hop Dance @
Southeast branch library

55. Celebrate Black History Month 2013:
Wednesday, February 6

 10:00am Hip Hop with Onya Williams @ North
branch library
 3:30pm Hip Hop with Onya Williams @
Watkins Park branch library

56. Celebrate Black History Month 2013:
Thursday, February 7

 4:00pm Trivia Contest @ Hadley Park branch
library
 6:00pm A Celebration of Music & Culture @
The Hermitage
 6:00pm The March on Washington: Revisited @
Bellevue branch library
 7:00pm Researching your African American
Roots @ Richland Park branch library

57. Celebrate Black History Month 2013:
Friday, February 8

 8:00am – 4:30pm Nashville Conference on
African American History and Culture @ TSU
Avon-Williams campus
 7:30pm Fisk Jubilee Singers Benefit Concert @
Studio Gallery at Fontanel Mansion

58. Celebrate Black History Month 2013:
Saturday, February 9

 11:00am Hymnology in The Black Church @
North branch library

59. Celebrate Black History Month 2013:
Tuesday, February 12

 10:00am “American Experience: Freedom
Riders” PBS documentary @ Hadley Park
branch library
 3:30pm “A Raisin in the Sun” @ East branch
library

60. Celebrate Black History Month 2013:
Wednesday, February 13

 7:00pm TSU Wind Ensemble Black History
Concert @ TSU Performing Arts Center
Cox/Lewis Theatre and Music Hall

61. Celebrate Black History Month 2013:
Thursday, February 14

 4:00pm Trivia Contest @ Hadley Park branch
library
 4:00pm Malcolm X: Life, Faith and Mission @
Watkins Park branch library

62. Celebrate Black History Month 2013:
Saturday, February 16

 1:00pm “Emancipation and the Meaning of
Freedom” panel discussion @ The Hermitage
 2:00pm “The Color Purple” @ Green Hills
branch library
 2:00pm “Our Friend Martin” @ Hadley Park
branch library
 2:00pm Celebrating African American
Achievements @ Hermitage branch library

63. Celebrate Black History Month 2013:
Thursday, February 21

 10:00am African American Ancestry Search @
Madison branch library
 4:00pm Trivia Contest @ Hadley Park branch
library

64. Celebrate Black History Month 2013:
Saturday, February 23

 10:00am African American Genealogy
Workshop @ Looby branch library
 1:00pm Honoring The Hermitage‟s Enslaved
Community @ The Hermitage

65. Celebrate Black History Month 2013:
Wednesday, February 27

 10:00am “Let Freedom Sing: How Music
Inspired the Civil Rights Movement” @ Hadley
Park branch library
 4:00pm Racism in America: Reality or Illusion?
@ Watkins Park branch library
 4:00pm How To: Ancestry Library Edition,
Finding Your African American Ancestors @
Bordeaux branch library

66. Celebrate Black History Month 2013:
Thursday, February 28

 4:00pm Trivia Contest @ Hadley Park branch
library

67. Check out these websites for
other events around town

 Celebrate Black History Month at Vanderbilt:
http://sitemason.vanderbilt.edu/myvu/news/2
010/02/02/celebrate-black-history-month-at-
vanderbilt.105999
 Visit Music City:
http://www.visitmusiccity.com/visitors/events
/blackhistorymonth
 More links at News 2:
http://www.wkrn.com/global/Category.asp?c=
160607

68. Music and Speeches:

 "Come by Here," performed by Ethel Best, 1936:
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200197362/default.html
 "Jesus is My Only Friend," performed by Bessie Shaw, 1926:
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200196564/default.html
 Martin Luther King, Jr.‟s “I Have a Dream” speech:
http://archive.org/details/MLKDream
 President Obama‟s Second Inaugural Address:
http://www.npr.org/2013/01/21/169903155/transcript-barack-obamas-
second-inaugural-address
 "Rock in My Soul," performed by Rich Brown, 1940:
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200197579/default.html
 "Strange Fruit,“ performed by Billie Holiday:
http://archive.org/details/BillieHoliday-StrangeFruit
 "We Shall Overcome,“ performed by Mahalia Jackson:
http://www.cbcpp.com/202mp3/weshallovercome.mp3
Presentation by: Amanda J. Carter