Desegregation and Civil Rights
African Americans in Wisconsin had been struggling for their civil rights for more than a century before the movement began to attract headlines in the 1960s. In 1866, for example, Milwaukee's Ezekiel Gillespie successfully sued for the right to vote, and in the 1930s, William Kelley of the Milwaukee Urban League began to fight for the rights of black teachers to work in the public schools. These early efforts were especially difficult because African Americans made up only a very small percentage of the state's residents before the middle of the 20th century. For information about early civil rights history... more...
Original Documents and Other Primary Sources
![Link to article: Wisconsin voting and civil rights legislation, 1846-1929.](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | Wisconsin voting and civil rights legislation, 1846-1929. |
![Link to article: The KKK parades through Madison in 1924](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | The KKK parades through Madison in 1924 |
![Link to article: African American housing conditions in Milwaukee in 1955](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | African American housing conditions in Milwaukee in 1955 |
![Link to article: Former slaves who settled in Madison and Racine](/turningpoints/images/article.gif) | Former slaves who settled in Madison and Racine |
![Link to artifacts: A block-print wall hanging from the Milwaukee Handicraft Project](/turningpoints/images/artifacts.gif) | A block-print wall hanging from the Milwaukee Handicraft Project |
![Link to book: A survey of black families in rural Wisconsin, 1959](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A survey of black families in rural Wisconsin, 1959 |
![Link to book: The effects of Milwaukee school desegregation efforts, 1992](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | The effects of Milwaukee school desegregation efforts, 1992 |
![Link to book: Milwaukee residents discuss the city's racial problems, 1965](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | Milwaukee residents discuss the city's racial problems, 1965 |
![Link to book: Wisconsin's African American population from statehood through 1910](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | Wisconsin's African American population from statehood through 1910 |
![Link to book: A 1950 guide to African American businesses](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A 1950 guide to African American businesses |
![Link to book: A survey of African Americans in Madison, 1966](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A survey of African Americans in Madison, 1966 |
![Link to book: Interviews with residents of South Madison](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | Interviews with residents of South Madison |
![Link to book: A survey of African American housing in Madison, 1959](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A survey of African American housing in Madison, 1959 |
![Link to book: A survey of socio-economic conditions for African Americans in Madison, 1966](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | A survey of socio-economic conditions for African Americans in Madison, 1966 |
![Link to book: The results of the 1968 survey on employment opportunities for minorities and women](/turningpoints/images/book.gif) | The results of the 1968 survey on employment opportunities for minorities and women |
![Link to images: Milwaukee civil rights leader, Lloyd Barbee](/turningpoints/images/images.gif) | Milwaukee civil rights leader, Lloyd Barbee |
![Link to images: Fr. James Groppi leading Milwaukee civil rights demonstrations, 1966-1969.](/turningpoints/images/images.gif) | Fr. James Groppi leading Milwaukee civil rights demonstrations, 1966-1969. |
![Link to images: Photograph of attorney Byron Paine, ca. 1860](/turningpoints/images/images.gif) | Photograph of attorney Byron Paine, ca. 1860 |
![Link to manuscript: A detailed look at Milwaukee's black community in 1946](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | A detailed look at Milwaukee's black community in 1946 |
![Link to manuscript: William Rasche advocates on behalf of African American workers](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | William Rasche advocates on behalf of African American workers |
![Link to manuscript: An African American woman describes her migration to Wisconsin in 1917](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | An African American woman describes her migration to Wisconsin in 1917 |
![Link to manuscript: Wisconsin passes the country's first gay rights law, 1982](/turningpoints/images/manuscript.gif) | Wisconsin passes the country's first gay rights law, 1982 |
![Link to publication: The newsletter of the Madison Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.](/turningpoints/images/publication.gif) | The newsletter of the Madison Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. |