1850s
1850–1859The Fugitive Slave Act radicalizes the North while the Underground Railroad reaches its height.
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Key events
- May 29, 1851· debatedSojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?"
The formerly enslaved abolitionist delivers her famous address on race and gender in Akron, Ohio.
- 1853William Wells Brown publishes "Clotel"
The first novel published by an African American.
- April 29, 1854Lincoln University founded
One of the first degree-granting historically Black colleges.