Learn more about the contributions of African-Americans to United States history. Sojourner Truth (1797-1883), an escaped slave, spoke out against slavery and for women’s rights. Medgar Evers (1925-1963), Army veteran and first state field secretary of the NAACP in Mississippi, organized voter-registration efforts and economic boycotts, and investigated crimes perpetrated against blacks. The dates listed are birth and death years, when known. We also list one detail about each of the people on the list, either an important accomplishment or the area in which they excelled. The “head” image is of the early activist Frederick Douglass (1817-1895), social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman.
