Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #ANationsStory
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#OnThisDay in 1921, one of the deadliest racial massacres in U.S. history began in the thriving Greenwood African American community of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Black Wall Street in Tulsa, OK was destroyed by a racist mob. #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory 
In late May 1921, Black teenager Dick Rowland was falsely accused of assaulting a white woman in Tulsa, OK. Clashes between Black & white residents of Tulsa spiraled into the deadliest in a series of incidents of mass racial violence that convulsed the US in the early 1900s.
In Tulsa, as in all of these massacres, white mobs destroyed Black communities, property, and lives. More than a century after the riot, the people of Tulsa & the nation continue to struggle to reckon with the massacre’s multiple legacies. More: s.si.edu/3MXtFX0
#OnThisDay in 1921, the deadliest racial massacre in U.S. history began in the thriving Greenwood African American community of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Black Wall Street in Tulsa, OK was destroyed by a racist mob. #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory
Black Wall Street in Tulsa, OK was destroyed by a racist mob. #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory
In late May 1921, Black teenager Dick Rowland was falsely accused of assaulting a white woman in Tulsa, OK. Clashes between Black & white residents of Tulsa spiraled into the deadliest in a series of incidents of mass racial violence that convulsed the US in the early 1900s.
In Tulsa, as in all of these massacres, white mobs destroyed Black communities, property, and lives. More than a century after the riot, the people of Tulsa & the nation continue to struggle to reckon with the massacre’s multiple legacies. More: s.si.edu/3MXtFX0
#DYK? An enslaved man named Onesimus introduced the smallpox vaccine to doctors in Colonial North America. #BlackHistoryMonth
Smallpox was an extremely contagious virus that plagued much of the world for millennia, and killed 15% of Boston’s population in 1721. Some African societies had previously developed and implemented a method to combat the spread of the disease. #ANationsStory
Onesimus described to doctors the long-standing African practice of inoculation, introducing pathogens to open wounds to produce antibodies and induce immunity. #APeoplesJourney
Beginning with the founding of America, African Americans created new visions of freedom that have benefited all Americans. The paradox of the American Revolution—the fight for liberty in an era of widespread slavery—is embedded in the foundation of the US #ANationsStory #July4th
Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence and called slavery an “abominable crime,” yet he was a lifelong slaveholder. His statue stands in our Slavery & Freedom exhibition with the names of the 600 men, women and children he enslaved at Monticello. #ANationsStory
The tension between slavery and freedom—who belongs & who is excluded—resonates through the nation's history & spurs the American people to interfere constantly with building "a more perfect union." This paradox was embedded in national institutions that are still vital today.
#OTD in 1865, enslaved African Americans were notified of their freedom by Union troops in Galveston Bay, TX—two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.
Known as #Juneteenth, this day is widely celebrated as the end of chattel slavery in the U.S. #APeoplesJourney
Known as #Juneteenth, this day is widely celebrated as the end of chattel slavery in the U.S. #APeoplesJourney
Though it has long been celebrated among the African American community, it is a history that has been marginalized & still remains largely unknown to the wider public. The legacy of #Juneteenth shows the value of deep hope & urgent organizing in uncertain times. #APeoplesJourney
Although the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control, some enslaved people would not be free until much later.
[BLOG] The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth: s.si.edu/2IrWZWG #APeoplesJourney
[BLOG] The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth: s.si.edu/2IrWZWG #APeoplesJourney
African American music is rooted in messages of solidarity and protest. The freedom of speech that music allows creates opportunities for individual voices to come together in support of a cause. #APeoplesGroove #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory #FreedomSounds
For centuries, black musicians have used their art to speak out for justice & equality. They have raised their voices to oppose racism, apartheid, violence, genocide, & oppression in all its forms. #APeoplesGroove #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory #FreedomSounds
Some artists fight for social change throughout their careers because they believe their public prominence brings a social responsibility. Others may be moved to speak out on a particular topic or situation. #APeoplesGroove #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory #FreedomSounds
#OTD in 1921, the deadliest racial massacre in U.S. history began in the thriving Greenwood African American community of Tulsa, OK.
Black Wall Street in Tulsa, OK was destroyed by a racist mob. #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory
Black Wall Street in Tulsa, OK was destroyed by a racist mob. #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory
The imprisonment of Dick Rowland, a black man falsely accused of assaulting a white woman, sparked the Tulsa Massacre. A lynch mob gathered to hang Rowland; black Tulsans hurried to the courthouse to protect him. A tinderbox of racial resentment & white supremacy quickly ignited.
From May 31 to June 1 white mobs ransacked, razed, and burned over 1,000 homes, businesses, and churches in Greenwood, and murdered scores of African Americans. #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory
When Dr. Charles Blockson invited me to Philadelphia to see artifacts related to Harriet Tubman, I was doubtful that much material from her life had survived. But at least I'd get a Philly cheesesteak and have the opportunity to see Blockson, who I admire. #CreatingNMAAHC
@NMAAHC When we met at Temple University, Dr. Blockson brought out a tiny box. It seemed too small to hold a legacy as important as Harriet Tubman's and I thought I'd wasted a trip. But then Blockson opened the box.
@NMAAHC That day in Philadelphia, Dr. Blockson showed us 25 artifacts. A homemade knife and fork that Tubman carried on forays into the south to rescue enslaved people, photos of Tubman's 1913 funeral that few had ever seen. As each item emerged, our group grew more and more emotional.
On July 27, 1919, racial tensions exploded when seventeen-year-old Eugene Williams drowned in Lake Michigan after crossing the unofficial segregation-line and being stoned by a group of white youths. #RedSummer100 #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory
When police officers arrived on the scene, they refused to arrest the white man whom eyewitnesses pointed to as the responsible party. Angry crowds began to gather on the beach, and reports of the incident spread quickly. #RedSummer100 #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory
Violence broke out among mobs of black and white Chicagoans, mostly on the South Side neighborhood. Police were unable to stop the riots, the state militia was called in on the fourth day, but the fighting continued until August 3rd. #RedSummer100 #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory
#OTD in 1865, enslaved African Americans were notified of their freedom by Union troops in Galveston Bay, TX—two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.
Known as #Juneteenth, this day is widely celebrated as the end of chattel slavery in the U.S. #APeoplesJourney
Known as #Juneteenth, this day is widely celebrated as the end of chattel slavery in the U.S. #APeoplesJourney
Though it has long been celebrated among the African American community, it is a history that has been marginalized & still remains largely unknown to the wider public. The legacy of #Juneteenth shows the value of deep hope & urgent organizing in uncertain times. #APeoplesJourney
For more than 250,000 African Americans in Galveston, Texas, June 19, 1865, signaled the final day of their enslavement. Two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863, Texas had yet to officially recognize the President’s executive order.
Today in 1861, the Civil War began when Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter, S.C. Nearly 200,000 black men served as Union soldiers during the war. Neither side predicted that African Americans would transform the war into a battle for freedom. #ANationsStory
Slavery and its expansion into the western territories divided the nation. Republican Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 election with less than 40% of the popular vote & without winning southern states. News of his victory prompted a secession movement across the South. #ANationsStory
Slavery was deeply woven into the fabric of the United States and challenged the meaning of democracy. Enslaved people’s work formed an economic engine for the country. Bought and sold as property, enslaved people were valued at an estimated $2.7 billion in 1860. #ANationsStory
In the late 1800s & into the 1900s, racist images were common on everyday items such as ads, toys, and household figurines. #ANationsStory
These images served a common purpose—to justify the mistreatment of African Americans and the logic of segregation. #ANationsStory
If white people accepted these stereotypes, it became that much easier to deny African Americans full rights of citizenship. #ANationsStory
