African-American History Quiz: How Well Do You Know Black History?

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Fascinating and richly diverse, African-American history reflects some of the most inspirational as well as the most shameful aspects of humanity. From its beginning with the tragedy of slavery through every remarkable step toward progress that's been made right up until today, the story of black people in America is one of strength, resilience and hope. There have been heroes along the way, to be sure—you know some of them already (and just might encounter a few new faces in this quiz). This quiz takes a look at some of the titans of black history, from poets to civil rights activists. But as with the history of any other culture, remembering the contributions, struggles and achievements of ordinary, everyday people is an essential part of looking at the past. Further, while it's important to celebrate the triumphant moments of history, remembering the horrific events is also essential—and African-American history has perhaps more than its fair share of both. 

Understanding the history of black people and race relations in America is to understand America itself. By looking at our past, we appreciate how far we've come since the dark days of slavery, as well as how much progress is left to go before true equality is reached. As President Obama so eloquently put it in his remarks at the Dedication of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016:

And by knowing this other story, we better understand ourselves and each other. It binds us together. It reaffirms that all of us are America -- that African-American history is not somehow separate from our larger American story, it's not the underside of the American story, it is central to the American story.  

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Some now-centric folks dismiss the value of anything that happened in the past. American industrialist Henry Ford once articulated this misguided attitude: “History is more or less bunk [nonsense] . . . the only history worth a damn is the history we make today." Hopefully you being here means that you already know the truth: that knowledge of history is vital. Seeing current events through the lens of history reveals the timelessness of certain themes and issues with which humankind has grappled from the start. Same problems, different day. If you believe that (or even if you just think history facts are cool), go check out the rest of our fascinating history quizzes! 

: Black History Quiz Questions

20 Questions · 3.6K Plays · 1 Comment

Question 1

Harriet Tubman was the most productive conductor on the Underground Railroad. What was her codename?

  • A
    Jesus
  • B
    Moses
  • C
    Fred
  • D
    Jehovah

Question 2

This former slave became one the most influential abolitionists of the 19th century.

  • A
    Nat Turner
  • B
    Ulysses S. Grant
  • C
    Frederick Douglass
  • D
    Dred Scott

Question 3

Civil rights leader and one-time Nation of Islam devotee Malcolm X adopted the "X" to replace the slave name that had been forced on his family. What was that last name?

  • A
    Lydell
  • B
    Little
  • C
    Johanssen
  • D
    Littell

Question 4

Where was Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinated?

  • A
    Dallas, Texas
  • B
    Atlanta, Georgia
  • C
    Memphis, Tennessee
  • D
    Palm Springs, California

Question 5

Who is this political activist, college professor and one-time Black Panthers supporter?

  • A
    Assata Shakur
  • B
    bell hooks
  • C
    Angela Davis
  • D
    Gloria Steinem

Question 6

Which historic document concerning slavery did President Abraham Lincoln sign on January 1, 1863?

  • A
    Gettysburg Address
  • B
    14th Amendment
  • C
    Emancipation Proclamation
  • D
    Articles of Confederation

Question 7

What is the name for the period of American history immediately following the Civil War?

  • A
    Reformation
  • B
    The Jazz Age
  • C
    Reconstruction
  • D
    Reparation

Question 8

Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter was one of the preeminent Mississippi Blues musicians. What's another name for this blues subgenre?

  • A
    Southern Blues
  • B
    Delta Blues
  • C
    Tennessee Blues
  • D
    California Blues

Question 9

This painting by African-American artist Jacob Lawrence depicts the mass exodus of blacks out of the rural south to urban areas in the North and Midwest between 1915 and 1970. What do historians call this period of dramatic population shift?

  • A
    Great Transition
  • B
    Great Migration
  • C
    Great Crossing
  • D
    Great Exodus

Question 10

Legendary bandleader Duke Ellington and countless other jazz greats got their start at New York's Cotton Club. In which neighborhood would you have found the iconic club?

  • A
    Wall Street
  • B
    Lenox Hill
  • C
    Harlem
  • D
    South Bronx

Question 11

This historically black men's college in Atlanta boasts Martin Luther King, Jr. among its alumni.

  • A
    Spelman
  • B
    Morehouse
  • C
    Louisiana State
  • D
    Howard

Question 12

Which of these is true about the infamous Tuskegee Experiment, the 40-year, secret syphilis study on 400 black men conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service?

  • A
    At the study's end, 128 men had died from syphilis.
  • B
    The subjects were never treated, even after a cure existed.
  • C
    The subjects were told they were being treated for "bad blood."
  • D
    All of the above.

Question 13

What genre of music is the classic hymn, "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"?

  • A
    Devotional
  • B
    Tune
  • C
    Spiritual
  • D
    Ballad

Question 14

This legendary actor broke through the race barrier by becoming the first black artist to win the Academy Award for Best Actor.

  • A
    Harry Belafonte
  • B
    Louis Gossett Jr.
  • C
    James Earl Jones
  • D
    Sidney Poitier

Question 15

Which of these facts about African-American poet Phillis Wheatley (1753–1784) is NOT true?

  • A
    She was the first African American to publish a book.
  • B
    She was the first slave in the U.S. to publish a book.
  • C
    Her 1773 book of poems was first published by the Boston publishing house, Green & Russell.
  • D
    She had her first poem printed in the newspaper at age 14.

Question 16

Which eccentric civil rights activist and self-declared "Provisional President of Africa" founded the massively popular, black nationalist Universal Negro Improvement Association?

  • A
    Langston Hughes
  • B
    Marcus Garvey
  • C
    Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • D
    W. E. B. Du Bois

Question 17

Which of these facts about civil rights icon Rosa Parks is FALSE?

  • A
    She was born in Tuskegee, Alabama.
  • B
    She did not plan to refuse to give up her bus seat that day.
  • C
    She was a longtime member of the local NAACP chapter.
  • D
    She was the first black citizen of Montgomery to be arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person.

Question 18

Which celebrated opera singer sang for 75,000 people on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial after the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to allow her to perform in their auditorium due to her race?

  • A
    Leontyne Price
  • B
    Jessye Norman
  • C
    Marian Anderson
  • D
    Maria Callas

Question 19

Which baseball legend broke the sport's color line by becoming the first African American to play in the Major Leagues?

  • A
    Hank Aaron
  • B
    Jackie Robinson
  • C
    Willie Mays
  • D
    Jesse Owens

Question 20

What was "40 Acres and a Mule"?

  • A
    A civil rights manifesto.
  • B
    A classic plantation song.
  • C
    A post-Civil War reparations plan.
  • D
    The first published children's book by an African-American author.

Comments (1)

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This had some very good historical accounts

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