The Most Important People of Color in American History

They fought and sacrificed in challenging the nation to live up to its promise of liberty and justice for all.

2The Images That Define American History

3The Most Important People of Color in American History

4The Most Consequential Politicians Who Never Became President

1. Frederick DouglassAbolitionist, gifted orator, and adviser to President Lincoln. Fun fact: He was born Frederick Bailey. “Douglass,” which he adopted after he escaped from bondage and settled in Massachusetts, is taken from a character in Sir Walter Scott’s poem “The Lady of the Lake.”

2. Martin Luther King Jr.Not-so-fun fact: As a child, he was recruited to appear onstage, dressed in a slave costume, for the gala premiere in Atlanta of Gone With the Wind.

3. Barack ObamaYou know that if you became the first African American president in U.S. history but still finished only third on this list, those other two guys must really be giants.

4. W.E.B. Du BoisSociologist, writer, and champion of civil rights—a public intellectual par excellence.........

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