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Women's History

Black History and Women

By , About.com Guide

Women are half the human race, and they're half of black history, as well. Here are some highlights bringing together black history and women's history. You'll find timelines of African American history and women, biographies of African American women, African women rulers, and more.
  1. Basics of African American Women's History
  2. African American Women in Colonial and Revolutionary America
  3. Slavery and Abolitionism
  1. Changing Times
  2. Women and the Harlem Renaissance
  3. African Women of Black History

Basics of African American Women's History

Here are some resources that will get you started quickly in learning about and exploring the history of African American women. The timeline will show the events and individuals in historical context, and the ever-growing list of biographies will introduce you to some powerful and interesting individuals. If you want to test your knowledge of African American women's history, try the quiz.

African American Women in Colonial and Revolutionary America

The early Europeans brought Africans with them to the Americas, and it was not long before the institution of slavery was established in what would become the United States. When the laws changed so that, for those of African ancestry, servitude followed the condition of the mother, not the father, the system of chattel slavery had begun. The story of African American women in these times is mostly of women without names. Phillis Wheatley is one, but not the only, exception to this enforced anonymity.

Slavery and Abolitionism

Sojourner Truth

The United States declared itself a free nation and that every citizen had a right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" -- but also accepted the institution of slavery. Frederick Douglass was later to say that the United States didn't have a race problem -- it had an American problem, learning to live up to its own ideals. Women were quite active in the abolitionist movement. White women came out of their domestic sphere to work against the enslavement of others. Black women spoke from their experience, bringing their story to audiences to elicit empathy and action.

Changing Times

As the Civil War ended, and slaves were freed, the lives of African Americans were changing. Reconstruction, Jim Crow laws, civil rights progress and regression, educational and other opportunities, social reform: women were a part of this history. Here are some highlights and key figures in African American and women's history from the end of the Civil War until just before the founding of the NAACP.

Women and the Harlem Renaissance

Zora Neale Hurston portrait by Carl Van Vechten

We usually hear about the men of the Harlem Renaissance, but from the roots to the blossoming to the neglect to the rediscovery of this important literary and artistic movement, women played an important part.

African Women of Black History

Nefertiti of Egypt

Some claim that Nefertiti and Cleopatra are among the queens of black history; whether they are or not, there are other women of (black) African history who are interesting and important to remember. Here are a few:

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