Black History Quiz Questions

All Black History Quiz Questions

• 1Who was the first African American woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature?

  Toni MorrisonCorrect answer

  Maya Angelou

  Alice Walker

  Zora Neale Hurston

  Multiple Choice 0 0black historyliteraturenobel

  Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993, becoming the first African American woman to achieve this honor. Her works often explore themes of identity, community, and the African American experience, making her a pivotal figure in American literature.
• 2What was the primary goal of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States during the 1960s?

  To end racial segregation and discriminationCorrect answer

  To promote economic growth in urban areas

  To expand voting rights for all citizens

  To increase military presence abroad

  Multiple Choice 0 01960sblack historysegregationusa history

  The Civil Rights Movement aimed to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans, particularly in the South. It sought to secure equal rights and treatment under the law, impacting legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
• 3Which landmark Supreme Court case declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional?

  Brown v. Board of EducationCorrect answer

  Plessy v. Ferguson

  Loving v. Virginia

  Roe v. Wade

  Multiple Choice 0 0black historysegregation

  Brown v. Board of Education (1954) was a pivotal Supreme Court decision that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson's 'separate but equal' doctrine, ruling that racial segregation in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
• 4What was the significance of the Harlem Renaissance in American history?

  It was a cultural movement that celebrated African American art and literature.Correct answer

  It was a political campaign for African American voting rights.

  It was an economic initiative to support African American businesses.

  It was a social movement advocating for integration.

  Multiple Choice 0 0artblack historyusa history

  The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement in the 1920s that celebrated African American art, music, and literature, significantly influencing American culture and identity. Key figures included Langston Hughes and Duke Ellington, who contributed to a redefinition of how America viewed African Americans.
• 5Who was the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court?

  Thurgood MarshallCorrect answer

  Clarence Thomas

  William H. Hastie

  Robert L. Carter

  Multiple Choice 0 0black historyusa

  Thurgood Marshall served as the first African American Supreme Court Justice from 1967 to 1991. His legal career was marked by his advocacy for civil rights, most notably as the lead attorney in Brown v. Board of Education, which helped dismantle segregation in American schools.
• 6What was the impact of the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln?

  It declared all slaves in Confederate states to be free.Correct answer

  It abolished slavery in all U.S. states.

  It granted citizenship to all African Americans.

  It ended the Civil War.

  Multiple Choice 0 0abraham lincolnblack historyusa

  The Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January 1, 1863, declared that all slaves in Confederate-held territory were to be set free. While it did not abolish slavery nationwide, it marked a significant turning point in the Civil War, changing the character of the conflict and allowing for the enlistment of African American soldiers into the Union Army.
• 7Which influential African American leader advocated for the 'Back to Africa' movement in the early 20th century?

  Marcus GarveyCorrect answer

  W.E.B. Du Bois

  Frederick Douglass

  Booker T. Washington

  Multiple Choice 0 0black history

  Marcus Garvey was a prominent leader who advocated for the 'Back to Africa' movement, encouraging people of African descent to return to their ancestral homeland. His efforts aimed to foster a sense of pride and unity among Black people worldwide, emphasizing self-reliance and economic independence.
• 8Which event is considered a pivotal moment in the Black Lives Matter movement?

  The shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.Correct answer

  The election of Barack Obama as President.

  The founding of the NAACP.

  The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

  Multiple Choice 0 0black history

  The shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 is considered a pivotal moment in the Black Lives Matter movement, highlighting systemic racism and police violence against African Americans. The incident sparked widespread protests and increased awareness of issues related to racial injustice.
• 9Who delivers the famous "I have a dream" speech?

  Martin Luther King Jr.Correct answer

  Malcolm X

  Nelson Mandela

  Barack Obama

  Multiple Choice 0 0historycivil rightsusablack history

  The famous "I Have a Dream" speech was delivered by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
• 10What is the harlem renaissance?

  Afro-American artistic movementCorrect answer

  Economic liberation movement in Wall Street

  Political campaign for abolishing slavery

  Rebuilding project in Harlem

  Multiple Choice 0 0black historyartculturemusic

  The Harlem Renaissance was an artistic and cultural movement centered in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan during the 1920s and 1930s. It brought together some of the greatest African American talents across various art forms, from music, to dance, from art, to fashion, literature, and more.
• 11Malcolm X's father was a follower of _____, who promoted Black nationalism and Pan-Africanism.

  Marcus GarveyCorrect answer

  Martin Luther King Jr.

  Frederick Douglass

  Elijah Muhammad

  Fill in Blank 0 0black historyafrica

  Marcus Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and promoted the "Back to Africa" movement. His ideas influenced Malcolm X's father and later Malcolm X himself.
• 12Which of these were prominent figures in the Harlem Renaissance?

  Langston HughesCorrect answer

  Maya Angelou

  Zora Neale HurstonCorrect answer

  Duke EllingtonCorrect answer

  James Baldwin

  Ray Charles

  Select All That Apply 0 0black historycultureartliterature

  Langston Hughes (poet), Zora Neale Hurston (writer), and Duke Ellington (musician) were central to the 1920s-30s Harlem Renaissance. Maya Angelou, Ray Charles, and James Baldwin came later, in the 1950s-60s.
• 13Which West African empires were known for their wealth and gold trade?

  MaliCorrect answer

  SonghaiCorrect answer

  GhanaCorrect answer

  Zulu

  Axum

  Select All That Apply 0 0historyafricablack history

  Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were wealthy West African empires controlling gold and salt trade routes. The Zulu Kingdom was in southern Africa, while Axum was in East Africa (Ethiopia).
• 14Which empire controlled the trans-Saharan gold and salt trade from Timbuktu?

  Ottoman Empire

  Songhai EmpireCorrect answer

  British Empire

  Portuguese Empire

  Multiple Choice 0 0historyafricablack history

  The Songhai Empire controlled Timbuktu, a center of Islamic learning and trade.
• 15The Black Panther Party's free breakfast program for children was later adopted by the federal government

  TrueCorrect answer

  False

  True or False 0 0black history1960s

  True. The Panthers fed over 20,000 children daily by 1969. This program's success pressured the government to expand federal breakfast programs.
• 16Which country was founded by freed American slaves in 1822?

  Sierra Leone

  LiberiaCorrect answer

  Ghana

  Haiti

  Multiple Choice 0 0historyafricablack historyliberiacolonisation

  Liberia was established by the American Colonization Society for freed slaves. Its capital, Monrovia, was named after U.S. President James Monroe. The country declared independence in 1847.
• 17Knonw for their elaborate obelisks, The Kingdom of Aksum was located in modern-day _____.

  EthiopiaCorrect answer

  South Africa

  Nigeria

  Morocco

  Fill in Blank 0 0historyafricaethiopiablack history

  Aksum (100-960 CE) in Ethiopia was one of the great powers of the ancient world. It was among the first states to adopt Christianity and developed its own alphabet.
• 18Who became the first Black woman to win an Academy Award in 1940?

  Dorothy Dandridge

  Hattie McDanielCorrect answer

  Ethel Waters

  Lena Horne

  Multiple Choice 0 0black historymovieshollywood

  Hattie McDaniel won Best Supporting Actress for playing Mammy in "Gone with the Wind." She had to sit at a segregated table during the ceremony due to racial restrictions.
• 19Who founded the Tuskegee Institute in 1881?

  W.E.B. Du Bois

  Booker T. WashingtonCorrect answer

  George Washington Carver

  Frederick Douglass

  Multiple Choice 0 0black historyeducationalabama

  Booker T. Washington founded Tuskegee Institute (now University) in Alabama. Born into slavery, he became a leading educator and advocate for vocational training for African Americans.
• 20The Haitian Revolution was the only successful slave revolt that established an independent nation.

  TrueCorrect answer

  False

  True or False 0 0historyhaitislaveryblack history

  True. Led by Toussaint L'Ouverture and completed by Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the revolution defeated French, Spanish, and British forces, making Haiti the first Black republic.
• 21Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama in the year _____.

  1955Correct answer

  Open Ended 0 0black historycivil rightssegregationusa

  On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks sat in the front of a bus and refused going to the back, which was designated for African Americans. This led to Rosa Parks' arrest and sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott that lasted 381 days.
• 22Which inventor developed over 300 products from peanuts and revolutionized Southern agriculture?

  Garrett Morgan

  Lewis Latimer

  George Washington CarverCorrect answer

  Granville Woods

  Multiple Choice 0 0black historyscienceagriculture

  George Washington Carver, born into slavery, became a renowned scientist at Tuskegee Institute. His crop rotation methods and peanut products helped Southern farmers move beyond cotton dependency.
• 23The ancient Kingdom of Kush conquered and ruled Egypt for nearly a century.

  TrueCorrect answer

  False

  True or False 0 0historyafricablack historyegyptologyegypt

  True. The Kushite Empire (from modern Sudan) conquered Egypt around 750 BCE, establishing the 25th Dynasty of "Black Pharaohs" who ruled until 656 BCE.
• 24The Tuskegee Airmen were the first Black military aviators in the U.S. Armed Forces.

  TrueCorrect answer

  False

  True or False 0 0black historymilitarywwii

  True. The Tuskegee Airmen were trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama during WWII. Their success helped integration with the military.
• 25Which of these people escaped slavery and became prominent abolitionists in U.S.?

  Frederick DouglassCorrect answer

  Harriet TubmanCorrect answer

  Sojourner TruthCorrect answer

  Nat Turner

  Phillis Wheatley

  Martin Luther King Jr.

  Select All That Apply 0 0black historyslavery19th century

  Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Sojourner Truth all escaped slavery and became abolitionists. Nat Turner led a slave rebellion but died in slavery. Phillis Wheatley was freed but not an escapee. Martin Luther King Jr. was a later civil rights leader, not a pre-Civil War abolitionist.
• 26Who was the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era?

  Willie Mays

  Jackie RobinsonCorrect answer

  Satchel Paige

  Hank Aaron

  Multiple Choice 0 0sportsbaseballblack history

  Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
• 27Who became the first Black president of South Africa in 1994?

  Desmond Tutu

  Nelson MandelaCorrect answer

  Steve Biko

  Oliver Tambo

  Multiple Choice 0 0historyafricasouth africablack history

  Nelson Mandela became president after spending 27 years in prison for fighting apartheid. His election marked the end of institutionalized racial segregation in South Africa.
• 28Which of these were important Black newspapers during the Jim Crow era?

  Chicago DefenderCorrect answer

  Pittsburgh CourierCorrect answer

  Amsterdam NewsCorrect answer

  The Los Angeles Times

  Select All That Apply 0 0black historymediacivil rights

  The Chicago Defender, Pittsburgh Courier, and Amsterdam News were notable Black publications. The Los Angeles Times was a major newspaper but was not focused on Black community.
• 29Which Harlem nightclub was famous for featuring Black performers but only allowing white patrons?

  Savoy Ballroom

  Cotton ClubCorrect answer

  Apollo Theater

  Minton's Playhouse

  Multiple Choice 0 0black historysegregationjazz

  The Cotton Club (1923-1940) featured legends like Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway but maintained a whites-only policy for customers.
• 30Who wrote "The Souls of Black Folk" and co-founded the NAACP?

  Booker T. Washington

  Du BoisCorrect answer

  Marcus Garvey

  Carter G. Woodson

  Multiple Choice 0 0black historycivil rightsliterature

  W.E.B. Du Bois was the first African American to earn a Harvard PhD. He opposed Booker T. Washington's accommodationist approach, advocating for immediate civil rights and higher education for the "Talented Tenth."
• 31The Selma to Montgomery marches took place in _____ and led to the Voting Rights Act.

  1965Correct answer

  Open Ended 0 0black historycivil rights

  The Selma to Montgomery marches took place in Alabama and led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
• 32Tulsa’s "Black Wall Street" was destroyed in 1921, it is known as the:

  Tulsa Race MassacreCorrect answer

  Tulsa Riot

  Tulsa Uprising

  Greenwood Fire

  Multiple Choice 0 0black historytulsaoklahoma

  The Greenwood District in Tulsa was destroyed May 31-June 1, 1921, when white mobs killed up to 300 Black residents and burned 35 blocks of the wealthiest Black community in America.
• 33Which African kingdoms successfully resisted European colonization until the late 19th/early 20th century?

  EthiopiaCorrect answer

  LiberiaCorrect answer

  Egypt

  South Africa

  Select All That Apply 0 0historyafricacolonizationblack history

  Ethiopia (except for Italian occupation 1936-1941) and Liberia remained independent during the Scramble for Africa.
• 34NAACP stands for:

  National Association for the Advancement of Colored PeopleCorrect answer

  National African-American Cultural Party

  National Alliance for Civil Progress

  National Agency for African People

  Multiple Choice 0 0black historycivil rights

  The NAACP stands for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Their mission is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.
• 35The Reconstruction era after the Civil War lasted from 1865 to _____.

  1877Correct answer

  1867

  1885

  1875

  Fill in Blank 0 0usa historyblack history19th century

  Reconstruction ended in 1877 with the Compromise of 1877, withdrawing federal troops from the South. This enabled Jim Crow laws and reversed many gains African Americans had made during Reconstruction.
• 36Who was known as the "Moses of her people" for leading enslaved people to freedom?

  Sojourner Truth

  Harriet TubmanCorrect answer

  Ida B. Wells

  Mary McLeod Bethune

  Multiple Choice 0 0black historyslavery

  Harriet Tubman made 19 trips on the Underground Railroad, freeing approximately 70 enslaved people. She never lost a single person and later served as a spy for the Union Army during the Civil War.
• 37The first HBCU (Historically Black College/University) was _____ University, founded in 1837.

  CheyneyCorrect answer

  Howard

  Tuskegee

  Morehouse

  Fill in Blank 0 0black historyeducationpennsylvania

  Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, originally the Institute for Colored Youth, is the first HBCU.
• 38Which Supreme Court case ended legal segregation in public schools?

  Plessy v. Ferguson

  Brown v. Board of EducationCorrect answer

  Loving v. Virginia

  Dred Scott v. Sandford

  Multiple Choice 0 0civil rightseducationblack history

  Brown v. Board of Education (1954) overturned "separate but equal" doctrine from Plessy v. Ferguson, declaring segregated schools unconstitutional.
• 39The first African American woman elected to the U.S. Congress was _____ in 1968.

  Shirley ChisholmCorrect answer

  Barbara Jordan

  Kamala Harris

  Carol Moseley Braun

  Fill in Blank 0 0usapoliticswomenblack history

  Shirley Chisholm represented New York's 12th district and later ran for president in 1972, becoming the first African American to seek a major party's nomination for president.
• 40Juneteenth commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in _____ on June 19, 1865.

  TexasCorrect answer

  New York

  Louisiana

  Mississippi

  Fill in Blank 0 0black historyslaverytexasusa history

  Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, announcing that enslaved people were free. This is two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, as Texas was remote and had few Union troops.