The Fight for Freedom

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Last Updated: Oct 02, 2025, 03:02 PM

Powerful Pieces of Paper

Even though it took over 200 years for slavery to end in North America, it would take another 100 years for African Americans to experience the freedoms listed in the first activity. Examine the information provided about the documents listed below to determine if they supported or violated these freedoms for African Americans.

It Looked Good on Paper but...

Now it is time to put these documents into their context. Below are two versions of the same timeline that includes these 5 key documents and the events and sources that surround them. Use the second timeline to find evidence about whether or not African Americans actually experienced the freedoms listed in the 5 key documents. For example, maybe a document promoted freedom, but do the events that occurred later show that African Americans experienced these freedoms?

Bringing it All Together: What Did You Find?

Based on your investigation, did you find clues about how it took another 100 years for African Americans to actually experience these freedoms? What documents restricted freedom? Which ones include freedoms for African Americans that they did not experience? Which ones granted freedom that African Americans actually experienced? In the table below, drag the documents to their proper place.

Congratulations! Now that you have completed this module, there are several opportunities to further explore this 100-year-old fight for freedom that continues today. One source is Brown University’s Interactive Timeline: Black Activism and the Fight for Racial Justice.