In Boston, Massachusetts, David Walker publishes his widely read vociferous condemnation of slavery, An appeal to the colored citizens of the world, and Walker’s Appeal in Four Articles. Walker’s Appeal, arguably the most radical of all anti-slavery documents, causes a great stir with its call for slaves to revolt against their masters and its protest against colonization.
Alexander Lucius Twilight graduates from Middlebury College, making him the first black college graduate in the U.S.
Missouri Compromise allows Missouri to become a slave state, establishes Maine as a free state, and bans slavery in the territory west of Missouri.
The U.S. annexes East Florida, which previously served as a refuge for runaway slaves.
Fugitive slaves in Florida and Native Americans fight together against the forces of Andrew Jackson in the First Seminole War.
George Henry White (North Carolina Republican), the last black to serve in the House of Representatives in the 19th century, leaves office.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first all-black religious denomination in the United States, was formally organized, and Richard Allen was named its first bishop.
Philadelphia black businessman and community leader James Forten publishes, A Series of Letters by a Man of Color, a pamphlet to protest a proposed law requiring the registration of blacks coming into the state.