1860–1869
1870–1879
1880–1889
1890–1899
1900–1909
1910–1919
1920–1929
1930–1939
1940–1949
1950–1959

Historical Timeline

American History | African American History
Baseball History | Negro Leagues Baseball History

1860–1869
1861
Civil War starts with attack on Ft. Sumter.
1862
At Oberlin, Mary Jane Patterson becomes the first African American woman to graduate from college.
1863
The Emancipation Proclamation frees slaves of the Confederate States.
1863
The 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry fights at Fort Wagner, one of 30 African American regiments in the Union.
1864
Baseball is introduced to Cuba by students that had studied in the U.S. and American sailors who were stationed there.
1865
The Ku Klux Klan is founded in Pulaski, Tennessee, originally to oppose Reconstruction governments.
1865
The first African American Newspaper, the New Orleans Tribune, is established.
1865
Shaw University becomes the 1st institution for black education in the South.
1866
Congress passes 1st Civil Rights Act securing rights of citizenship for all born in U.S., regardless of race, or color.
1866
The 9th and 10th Cavalries, now known as the Buffalo Soldiers, are sent West to pacify Native Americans.
1866
Vassar College forms the first women’s baseball team.
1866
Abolitionist and former slave, Frederick Douglass lobbies President Johnson for voting rights of former slaves.
1868
The 14th Amendment is passed. States cannot infringe on rights of citizens, and black suffrage is mandatory.
1868
John Menard is elected to represent Louisiana in Congress but is not seated because he is black.
1868
South Carolina General Assembly is the only state legislature to ever have an African American majority.
1869
1st Transcontinental Railroad is finished.
1869
The Cincinnati Red Stockings are the first professional baseball team.
1869
The National Woman's Suffrage Association is organized to press for women’s equality.