Terms
An American who has ancestors of African descent.
African Americans
A person who is owned by and forced to work for another with no pay or rights.
Slave
Without showing favor and without allowing an advantage for one side over another; being just.
Fair
Something that a person is or should be morally or legally allowed to have, get, or do.
Rights
The owning of people by other people.
Slavery
The condition, fact, or quality of being equal.
Equality
A human population sharing certain common physical characteristics that have been passed down from one generation to the next.
Race
A secret system established by former slaves and abolitionists, people against slavery, before the U.S. Civil War to help enslaved people escape to freedom.
Underground Railroad
A movement in 1950s and 1960s to end racial discrimination.
Civil Rights Movement
Discrimination by people of one race against people of another race.
Racism
A person who wants to stop or abolish slavery.
Abolitionists
Harsh, unfair, burdensome acts or demands by a government or other authority.
Oppression
The state of being free to act or move as one wishes.
Freedom
A law created in 1862 by President Lincoln that freed all the slaves during the United States Civil War.
Emancipation Proclamation