African American History

Though African American history is by no means exclusive to the State of Georgia, there is nowhere where it is more prevalent. There are a multitude of museums, churches, memorials, schools and numerous other historic sites that are dedicated to black history.

Georgia honors African American history by being home to many historical African American landmarks. For example, Chubtown is a community founded by free African Americans prior to the Civil War can be found in northern Georgia. In addition, Savannah is the site of the first African Baptist Church in America.

African American history can also be clearly seen in Sweet Auburn, which is a business and residential community in Atlanta filled with historical African American cultural sites. Atlanta, Georgia is also home to the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District.

Georgia also has several annual events in tribute to African American history. The Sea Island Festival is a summer festival that is celebrated each year in honor of African American roots in America. In addition, the National Black Arts festival is held yearly in Atlanta in order to honor the achievements and contributions of African Americans throughout the history of the United States.

Georgia is also considered the state where civil rights were born. Its capitol of Atlanta was considered the headquarters for many civil rights movements and is now home to the largest collections of African American colleges in the world.

The city of Dalton, Georgia proudly displays markers indicating some of the Civil War battles that took place there. In addition, you can see the first log school house used by African Americans in 1896 in the city of Athens. Furthermore, in Augusta you can see the Springfield Baptist Church, which was the oldest known black church, built in 1793. Another city in Georgia that is rich in African American history is Savannah. This is where you can find the Laurel Grove Cemetery, which is the final resting spot for many pre Civil War slaves, African American soldiers and other distinguished African Americans.