1823
Alexander Lucius Twilight graduates from Middlebury College, making him the first black college graduate in the U.S.
1820
Missouri Compromise allows Missouri to become a slave state, establishes Maine as a free state, and bans slavery in the territory west of Missouri.
1819
The U.S. annexes East Florida, which previously served as a refuge for runaway slaves.
1817
Fugitive slaves in Florida and Native Americans fight together against the forces of Andrew Jackson in the First Seminole War.
1901
George Henry White (North Carolina Republican), the last black to serve in the House of Representatives in the 19th century, leaves office.
1816
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.
1813
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.