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The African American community in the United States has faced a long and tumultuous history. From the time they were brought over as slaves to the present day, African Americans have fought for their basic human rights and equal treatment under the law. This struggle for equality has resulted in a long list of accomplishments by African Americans in various fields, including politics, education, sports, and entertainment. However, these achievements have often been met with hostility and backlash from White America. In this essay, I will provide a timeline of some of the major accomplishments of African Americans from 1865 to 2022 and explore the reactions of White America to these achievements. 

1865-1900: Reconstruction and Jim Crow Era

The period following the Civil War was a time of hope and optimism for African Americans. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were passed, granting them freedom, citizenship, and the right to vote. African Americans took advantage of these new rights and began to make significant strides in education, politics, and business. In 1869, Hiram Revels became the first African American to serve in the U.S. Senate, and in 1870, Joseph Rainey became the first African American to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

However, the period of Reconstruction was short-lived, and by the late 1800s, Southern states began to enact Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation and denied African Americans their rights. White America was resistant to the progress that African Americans had made and responded with violence and intimidation. In 1896, the Supreme Court upheld the “separate but equal” doctrine in Plessy v. Ferguson, giving legal justification for segregation.

1900-1950: The Harlem Renaissance and Civil Rights Movement

Despite the challenges of the Jim Crow era, African Americans continued to make progress in the arts, literature, and music. The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s saw the emergence of a vibrant cultural scene in New York City that celebrated African American culture and identity. Writers like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, and musicians like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, became cultural icons of the time.

In the 1950s, the Civil Rights Movement gained momentum, with leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks advocating for an end to segregation and discrimination. The movement achieved significant victories, including the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954 that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were also major legislative victories that ensured equal treatment under the law.

However, the progress of the Civil Rights Movement was met with strong resistance from White America. Segregationists used violence and intimidation to suppress African Americans, and many white Americans saw the movement as a threat to their way of life. The Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups carried out acts of violence against African Americans, including bombings, lynching’s, and assassinations of Civil Rights leaders.

1950-2022: African American Achievements and Backlash

Since the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans have continued to make significant achievements in various fields. In sports, athletes like Muhammad Ali, Serena Williams, and Michael Jordan became cultural icons and broke down barriers in their respective sports. In entertainment, African American artists like Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, and Tyler Perry have achieved tremendous success and become some of the most influential people in the world. 

In politics, African Americans have achieved historic firsts, including the election of Barack Obama as the first African American president in 2008. Kamala Harris also made history in 2020 as the first African American woman to be elected Vice President.

Despite these achievements, White America continues to meet these achievements with violence and discrimination. African American males still get sent to prison at much higher rates than whites and their sentences are longer. African American women mortality rates are higher than any other modern civilized country. The statistics tell us that no matter what African American citizens do in the United States of America, so far, the will continue to be treated as less than. Even when they are President of the United States.