ワシントン DC のアフリカ系アメリカ人の遺産ツアー

ワシントン DC のアフリカ系アメリカ人の遺産ツアー

[Music] Hello, my name is Lauren. I am going to be your guide on part one of KB Tour’s AfricanAmerican Tour of Washington DC. Through a series, we will explore the vast African-American history of Washington DC. We will begin at the Navy Memorial. The Navy Memorial was dedicated October 13th, 1987. As like most of Washington DC, the memorial is very symbolic. As we face the memorial to our left, the fountain represents the United States Navy and the Great Lakes of the United States. To our right, the fountain represents the international navies. I like to tell you of the golden 13. Until the early 1940s, African American sailors in the US Navy were confined to steward and messman roles, never allowed to hold command or wear officers uniform. That began to shift in June 1941 when President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, banning discrimination in federal defense industries. By April 1942, pressure from civil rights groups and black newspapers secured black sailors entry into general service ratings. But no African-American had yet risen to the officer ranks in the Navy until a pivotal decision in 1944. In January 1944, in response to growing civil rights pressure and advocacy by Elellanar Roosevelt and Adlay Stevenson, the Navy selected 16 black enlisted men for officer training at Great Lakes Naval Station in Illinois. Unwilling to risk their failure, naval leadership slashed the course from 16 to just 8 weeks, presuming they would falter accelerated program designed to break them or setting them up to fail. These capable men, many college educated, disciplined, and seasoned, faced an accelerated program designed to break them. Determined to succeed, the men formed a tight-knit study group. They even taped over barracks windows and studied by flashlight into the night. Against all expectations, all 16 passed their coursework with distinction, achieving an extraordinary average GPA of 3.89, the highest in Navy officer class history. Despite all 16 passing, only 12 were commissioned as inens and one as a chief warrant officer totaling 13, giving rise to the name golden 13. The remaining three returned to enlisted status. No explanation was offered. It is widely believed the Navy sought to temper their performance image. Yet each of the 13 stood proud, gold stripes pinned on by determination and excellence. We are driving down Pennsylvania Avenue. This is the avenue the inaugural parade takes place. The first inaugural parade that took place was just after President Jefferson was inaugurated at the capital. People followed him riding a horse back to the White House. People thought it looked like a parade. That how it got started. Let’s take a moment to reflect on a powerful legacy. The role of African-Americans in the inaugural parades. the story of resilience, pride, and long overdue recognition. In the early years of this grand tradition, African-Americans were nowhere to be seen in these processions. And why? The painful truth is slavery, discrimination, and exclusion were the order of the day. For decades, the only black presence around inaugurations might have been in labor roles or behind the scenes. But everything began to change in 1865. The year of President Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration. Just imagine the scene. The Civil War is still raging, but the tide has turned and the promise of emancipation is in the air. For the first time in history, four companies of African-American Union soldiers proudly marched in the inaugural parade. Not just soldiers, they were joined by members of black fraternal organizations like the Black Masons and the Black Oddf Fellows. These men, many of them formerly enslaved, marched down this very avenue, not as bystanders, but as honored participants. It was a breathtaking moment, a living symbol of Lincoln’s new birth of freedom. Washington DC is a city born of vision and precision. Its layout a testament to thoughtful design and collaboration. At the heart of its creation was Benjamin Banaker, a brilliant African-American mathematician and astronomer who played a crucial role in surveying and helping to design the city. In addition to his contributions to Washington’s foundation, Banaker authored seven editions of a widely respected farmers almanac, showcasing his deep understanding of astronomy, agriculture, and civil affairs. The city’s street system reflects intentional organization. Streets running north to south are numbered, while those running east to west follow an alphabetical sequence. Beyond this, many streets are named after trees, plants, flowers, US states, and notable American figures, creating a living map of history and symbolism. On your left stands the First Congregational Church of Washington, DC, a historic institution that played a significant role in the founding of Howard University. It is important to recognize that many historically black colleges and universities, H.B.CU, CUS throughout the United States were established through the foundational efforts of black churches, which provided both spiritual and educational leadership for African-American communities. This very neighborhood was once home to both free African-Americans and enslaved individuals living side by side under a unique system known as hiring out or working on your own. In this system, enslaved people could be rented out by their owners to work in the city. At times when slave holders were unable to find work for them, enslaved individuals themselves would find employment through their own networks if they could remit an agreed upon portion of their earnings to their owners. They were permitted to live more independently, often within free black communities. This arrangement, while still a form of bondage, offered some degree of autonomy and illustrates the resilience and ingenuity of those who lived under such oppressive conditions. As we proceed down 10th Street, look to your left and you will see Ford’s Theater, the site of one of the most tragic events in American history. It was here on the evening of April 14th, 1865 that President Abraham Lincoln was shot while attending a play. Directly across the street on your right, is the Peterson House where the president passed away in the early morning hours of April 15th. A little farther down, also on your left, stands the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Established in 1908, the FBI would later welcome a groundbreaking figure in its ranks, James Wormsley Jones. In 1919, Jones became the first African-American FBI agent. A distinguished weapons expert, he was instrumental in training other agents in marksmanship and was widely respected for his technical expertise and professionalism. A true pioneer in federal law enforcement history. As we turn onto historic Pennsylvania Avenue, we step into the heart of a powerful moment in American history. It was here on March 3rd, 1913, just one day before Woodro Wilson’s inauguration, that over 5,000 women marched down this avenue demanding the right to vote. At a time when women were still denied full citizenship, this bold and public demonstration captured the nation’s attention. But while this was a historic step forward, it was also a reminder of the racial divisions of the time. The organizers, white women, refused to allow black women to march beside them. They feared it would offend southern white men and derail the suffrage movement. Black women were told to march in the back, if at all. Yet, in a moment of quiet defiance, a group of young, determined black women stepped forward. Members of Delta Sigma Theta sorority founded just two months earlier at Howard University joined the parade with pride and purpose. They marched not just for themselves but for generations to come. Their presence, their courage, their resilience became a legacy that still echoes down this very street. In the sweltering summer of August 1925, the streets of Washington DC bore witness to one of the largest public demonstrations of hate in American history. An estimated 30,000 members of the Ku Klux Clan, clad in white robes and hoods, faces concealed, marched in military-like precision down Pennsylvania Avenue directly toward the US capital. This was no spontaneous gathering. It was a carefully orchestrated display of the clan’s power at the height of its national resurgence. In the 1920s, the clan had expanded far beyond its southern roots, becoming a nationwide movement that openly promoted white supremacy, anti-lack racism, anti-semitism, anti-atholicism, and nivism. DC, a majority black city, even then, stood as a silent backdrop as the clan flaunted its might. Marchers were mostly white Protestants from across the country, men and women alike, many of them holding American flags, appropriating the symbols of patriotism for a message of exclusion. There was no violence that day, but the message was unmistakable. The clan was asserting itself not only as a force of intimidation in the shadows, but as a political and cultural power in the very heart of American democracy. The 1925 march remains a chilling reminder that racism can wear a mask not only of hate but of legitimacy. And that even in the capital of a free nation, the ideals of equality must be defended, not assumed. We are now on our way to the United States capital, the seat of the legislative branch of the federal government and one of the most iconic buildings in American history. What many people do not realize is that this symbol of democracy was built in part by the hands of the enslaved. President George Washington, who oversaw the early planning of the city, wanted the capital to be constructed from sturdy stone, a symbol of permanence and strength. However, there were no suitable stone quaries in the immediate vicinity of the city. After some searching, Congress located a quarry across the Ptoac River in Aquia, Virginia. This quarry sat on what was then known as Government Island, a swampy mosquitoinfested area teameming with snakes. The work of extracting and transporting stone from such a site was grueling and dangerous. To meet the labor demands, Congress made the decision to rent 200 enslaved African-Ameans from nearby plantations. These men were forced to cut massive blocks of sandstone from the quarry, load them onto barges, float them down the Ptoac River to the Washington waterfront, unload the stone, and carry it, sometimes by hand or with oxen drawn carts, to the construction site of the capital. They not only hauled the material, but were also instrumental in the actual building process, performing masonry, carpentry, and other skilled tasks. Slaveholders were paid $5 per month per enslaved person. Money that of course never reached the hands of the laborers themselves. Construction on the capital officially began on September 18th, 1793, marked by a ceremonial laying of the cornerstone by President Washington and members of the Freemasons. The original design for the capital came from Dr. for William Thornon, an amateur architect whose neocclassical vision won a public design competition. Dr. Thornon, recognizing the talent and potential of the enslaved laborers, proposed an innovative plan to train 50 men of color in skilled trades to assist in the construction. He believed this could elevate their status and improve the quality of labor on the project. But Congress, deeply entrenched in the institution of slavery, rejected his idea outright. Despite this, the capital rose slowly, stone by stone, lifted on the backs of the enslaved, becoming a paradox, a monument to liberty and law, built by those who were denied both. A top the United States capital stands the statue of freedom, a powerful symbol of liberty. Remarkably, the statue was cast by an enslaved man named Philip Reed, whose skilled labor was instrumental in its completion. For his work, Mr. Reid was paid $44, a rare instance of compensated labor for an enslaved individual. The Capital Dome, an engineering marvel, weighs approximately 9 million pounds and is constructed entirely of cast iron. Its design and execution are testaments to 19th century innovation and the overlooked contributions of African-Americans. Following the Civil War, African-American men began to hold seats in the United States Congress. The first 22 black congressmen were all members of the Republican Party, the party that at the time was associated with reconstruction and civil rights for formerly enslaved people. Notably, the first two black US senators, Hyram Rebels and Blanch K. Bruce, were both elected from the state of Mississippi. The first African-American to serve in the US House of Representatives was Joseph Rainey of South Carolina. A formerly enslaved man, Rainey entered Congress in 1870 and played a pivotal role in advocating for civil rights during the turbulent reconstruction era. This is the end of part one of African-American Heritage Tour of Washington DC. If you liked it, please give a thumb up and subscribe. Until next time.

African American Heritage Tour of Washington, D.C. – Part One
Join us for the first segment of a powerful journey through Washington, D.C., as we uncover the untold African American stories woven into the very fabric of the nation’s capital.
In this video, we begin with Benjamin Banneker, the brilliant African American astronomer and surveyor who played a vital role in designing the city of Washington, D.C. We then revisit the 1913 Women’s Suffrage March, highlighting the courage and presence of Black women—particularly the members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority—who marched for the right to vote, even as they were forced to the back of the procession.
We shine a light on James Wormley Jones, the first African American FBI agent, and his trailblazing contributions in a time of deep segregation. As we approach Capitol Hill, we reflect on the African American laborers, both enslaved and free, who toiled in the construction of the U.S. Capitol, their legacy cast in stone but often left out of the history books.
At Ford’s Theater, we delve into the site of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, connecting it to Lincoln’s evolving views on emancipation and equality. Finally, we explore the inaugural parade tradition, tracing the powerful presence and participation of African Americans—from Union soldiers in 1865 to cultural icons and trailblazers who marched to affirm their rightful place in American democracy.
This tour is more than a walk through history—it’s a tribute to resilience, contribution, and the enduring spirit of a people who helped shape a nation.