English 6

Slavery has played a central role in the history of the United States. It existed in all the English mainland colonies and finally ended after the civil war (1861-1865). Most of the Founding Fathers were large-scale slave holders, as were eight of the first 12 presidents of the United States. The following 100 years after the abolition of slavery did not bring much improvements of the living conditions of the black Americans. Blacks did not have the same rights as the white population. In the 1950’s and 1960’s a movement saw the day of light: The Civil Rights Movement. Led by Martin Luther King, the movements peaceful way of protesting, finally brought rights to blacks.