Many people would have us believe that it was an exclusive “club” of rich white men that founded our country. They would be wrong.
Many textbooks omit the achievements of our Black founders. Most people don’t know that scores of African Americans made significant contributions to the founding of our nation. Let’s look at some of them and their accomplishments.
Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950), was the son of former slaves who in 1926 promoted the idea of Black History Week to make the contributions of African Americans known to students.
February was chosen because it is the birth month of President Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12), who freed the slaves, and his trusted advisor Frederick Douglass, who served under five presidents (Feb. 14). In 1976, Congress set aside a full month for this celebration.
Crispus Attucks was the first man killed in the American Revolution during the Boston Massacre of 1770.
Peter Salem is pictured in the painting Battle at Bunker Hill; he was one of the last soldiers to retreat from this battle and is credited with killing a British major and honored for his bravery in combat.
James Armistead Lafayette was a spy for the American Continental Army during the Revolutionary War in 1780 and was instrumental in winning the independence of our nation.
Martin Robison Delany studied medicine; Delany stayed in Pittsburg to help both Black and white sufferers during a cholera outbreak in 1854 when almost all other doctors abandoned the city.
Many liberals claim that Democrats offer the only hope for African Americans; today the vast majority of African Americans are registered Democrat and consistently support Democrat candidates no matter how inept they are. But what does history tell us about Democrats and their support for their Black constituents?
These men were activists of their time, but unlike the shrieky activists of today who only know how to complain, these men acted to solve the problems they found.
Who were the Republican Black leaders of the time and what were their accomplishments?
First, consider this: The Republican Party has long been known as the “party of Lincoln”; you’ll recall that it was President Lincoln who “freed the slaves.” But he didn’t do it alone; tens of thousands of men, women, and children died in the War Between the States, and political careers were made or lost based on support for equal treatment of all men.
The aforementioned Frederick Douglass was a self-taught slave who gained his freedom and started his own newspaper in 1847; later he became a trusted advisor to President Lincoln.
Joseph Hayne Rainey from South Carolina was the first Black man to be elected to the House of Representatives in 1870; he was reelected and served three terms. Among his accomplishments were his constant advocacy for his constituents, both Black and white, arguing for amnesty for Confederate soldiers, and an all-out federal assault on the Ku Klux Klan.
Hiram Rhodes Revels from Mississippi was the first Black man elected to the Senate in 1870. Although Senate Democrats vigorously blocked his admission to the Senate, he was seated after “Republican Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts sized up the importance of the moment: ‘All men are created equal, says the great Declaration,’ Sumner roared, ‘and now a great act attests this verity.’”
Benjamin Sterling Turner from Alabama was elected to the House of Representatives in 1871 with strong support from Black Republicans who made up a large portion of his district. He was also a strong supporter of amnesty for Confederate soldiers and racially mixed schools.
These men were activists of their time, but unlike the shrieky activists of today who only know how to complain, these men acted to solve the problems they found.
Today there is a concerted effort to disenfranchise the Black and Hispanic populations by failing to teach them the skills they need to succeed throughout their K-12 education—a system run predominately by Democrats—and, after that, enroll them in programs that reward the undereducated who can’t get jobs and keep them in a life of poverty.
Take it upon yourselves during Black History Month to learn more about how African Americans helped shape our nation and just exactly who championed their efforts and who continues to exploit them for their support.
Ron Fink writes to the Sun from Lompoc. Send a letter for publication to letters@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in February 19 – February 26, 2026.