Black History Pages

On This Day in Black History: March 11

1854

Five thousand citizens of Milwaukee, Wisconsin broke down the jail door of the courthouse and rescued Joshua Glover. This act led to Wisconsin becoming the only state to declare the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act unconstitutional.

1861

The Confederate States of America adopted its constitution explicitly declaring slavery as a right: "No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law, or law denying or impairing the right of property in negro slaves, shall be passed."

1895

Whites attacked black workers in New Orleans. Six blacks were killed.

1913

Britain and Germany demarcated the border between Nigeria and Cameroon.

1926

Civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy, chief aide and close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was born.

1943

Benedita da Silva, the first black woman to become a congresswoman (1986) and a senator (1994) in Brazil, was born.

1956

One hundred southern U.S. senators and representatives signed the Southern Manifesto, denouncing the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on segregation of public schools.

1959

Lorraine Hansberry's Raisin in the Sun opened on Broadway. It was the first play written by a black woman to be produced on Broadway. The title came from the opening lines of the poem A Dream Deferred, by Langston Hughes.

1959

Arlington and Norfolk, Virginia desegregated public schools.

1965

Rev. James J. Reeb, a white minister from Boston, was beaten to death by segregationists while marching for civil rights in Selma, Alabama.

1981

Rube Foster, star pitcher, manager and organizer in the Negro Leagues, was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans' Committee.

Today's Featured Page

Octavia E. Butler
Born in 1947 in Pasadena, California, Octavia E. Butler is the first published African-American female science fiction writer. She is widely recognized and critically acclaimed, while introducing the African-American and feminist perspective into the genre. More...

Previously Featured Pages

Otis Boykin
One of Otis Boykin's early inventions was an improved electrical resistor for computers, radios, televisions and an assortment of other electronic devices. More...

Matthew Henson
When Robert E. Peary purportedly discovered the North Pole, the person standing beside him was a black man—Matthew A. Henson. More...

Queen Nzinga
Queen Nzinga's meeting with the Portugese governor, recorded by a Dutch artist, is legendary in the history of Africa's confrontations with Europe. More...

Nehanda
Nehanda's dying words, "My bones will rise again," predicted the Second Chimurenga, which culminated in the independence of present-day Zimbabwe. More...

Nanny of the Maroons
Nanny, or Granny Nanny as she was affectionately called, was a brilliant military strategist. She was equally adept at being a shrewd military tactician and the spiritual leader of the Windward Maroons, providing the group with military and religious stability. More...

Nana Prempeh I
Nana Prempeh reunited the Asante nation, but this period coincided with the Scramble for Africa and the British viewed African unity as an impediment to their colonial expansion. Additionally, they wanted to colonize the Gold Coast before the French in the Ivory Coast did. More...


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	On This Day in Black History: March 11 1854 Five thousand citizens of Milwaukee, Wisconsin broke down the jail door of the courthouse and rescued Joshua Glover. This act led to Wisconsin becoming the only state to declare the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act unconstitutional. 1861 The Confederate States of America adopted its constitution explicitly declaring slavery as a right: "No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law, or law denying or impairing the right of property in negro slaves, shall be passed." 1895 Whites attacked black workers in New Orleans. Six blacks were killed. 1913 Britain and Germany demarcated the border between Nigeria and Cameroon. 1926 Civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy, chief aide and close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was born. 1943 Benedita da Silva, the first black woman to become a congresswoman (1986) and a senator (1994) in Brazil, was born. 1956 One hundred southern U.S. senators and representatives signed the Southern Manifesto, denouncing the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on segregation of public schools. 1959 Lorraine Hansberry's Raisin in the Sun opened on Broadway. It was the first play written by a black woman to be produced on Broadway. The title came from the opening lines of the poem A Dream Deferred, by Langston Hughes. 1959 Arlington and Norfolk, Virginia desegregated public schools. 1965 Rev. James J. Reeb, a white minister from Boston, was beaten to death by segregationists while marching for civil rights in Selma, Alabama. 1981 Rube Foster, star pitcher, manager and organizer in the Negro Leagues, was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans' Committee. Today's Featured Page Octavia E. Butler Born in 1947 in Pasadena, California, Octavia E. Butler is the first published African-American female science fiction writer. She is widely recognized and critically acclaimed, while introducing the African-American and feminist perspective into the genre. More... Previously Featured Pages Otis Boykin One of Otis Boykin's early inventions was an improved electrical resistor for computers, radios, televisions and an assortment of other electronic devices. More... Matthew Henson When Robert E. Peary purportedly discovered the North Pole, the person standing beside him was a black man—Matthew A. Henson. More... Queen Nzinga Queen Nzinga's meeting with the Portugese governor, recorded by a Dutch artist, is legendary in the history of Africa's confrontations with Europe. More... Nehanda Nehanda's dying words, "My bones will rise again," predicted the Second Chimurenga, which culminated in the independence of present-day Zimbabwe. More... Nanny of the Maroons Nanny, or Granny Nanny as she was affectionately called, was a brilliant military strategist. She was equally adept at being a shrewd military tactician and the spiritual leader of the Windward Maroons, providing the group with military and religious stability. More... Nana Prempeh I Nana Prempeh reunited the Asante nation, but this period coincided with the Scramble for Africa and the British viewed African unity as an impediment to their colonial expansion. Additionally, they wanted to colonize the Gold Coast before the French in the Ivory Coast did. More... Copyright © 1996-2008 5x5 Media and African Images. All rights reserved.