Famous 19th Century Civil Rights Activists

Vote for Your Favourite 19th Century Civil Rights Activists

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 1 
W. E. B. Du Bois
(Civil Rights Activists)
W. E. B. Du Bois
22
Birthdate: February 23, 1868
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Great Barrington, Massachusetts, United States
Died: August 27, 1963

W. E. B. Du Bois was an American civil rights activist, sociologist, and Pan-Africanist. Du Bois played an instrumental role in fighting for full civil rights for people of color around the world. A co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Du Bois also played an important role as the leader of the Niagara Movement.

 2 
Marcus Garvey
(Jamaican Political Activist, Journalist and Founder and First President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association)
Marcus Garvey
4
Birthdate: August 17, 1887
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Saint Ann's Bay, Jamaica
Died: June 10, 1940
Marcus Garvey is remembered as an iconic Black separatist leader who believed that all African-origin people in Europe and America should go back to Africa. He established the Universal Negro Improvement Association, but his activism was not accepted by civil rights activists, who believed in racial integration and not segregation.
 3 
Ida B. Wells
(Women's Rights Activist and Civil Rights Leader)
Ida B. Wells
5
Birthdate: July 16, 1862
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Holly Springs, Mississippi, United States
Died: March 25, 1931
Civil rights and women's rights activist Ida B. Wells is remembered for speaking up against the lynching of Blacks in the U.S. She was born a slave and freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. She later co-founded the NAACP. She also co-owned and wrote for Memphis Free Speech and Headlight.
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 4 
Mary McLeod Bethune
(American Civil Rights Activist and Founder of the 'National Council of Negro Women')
Mary McLeod Bethune
3
Birthdate: July 10, 1875
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Mayesville, South Carolina, United States
Died: May 18, 1955

Mary McLeod Bethune was an American civil rights activist, educator, womanist, humanitarian, and philanthropist. She is credited with founding the National Council of Negro Women. Bethune also played a key role in the creation of the Black Cabinet while serving as an adviser to Franklin Roosevelt. In 1973, Bethune was made an indutee of the National Women's Hall of Fame.

 5 
A. Philip Randolph
(Leader of the African-American civil-rights movement,)
A. Philip Randolph
3
Birthdate: April 15, 1889
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Crescent City
Died: May 16, 1979
 6 
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
(American Women's Rights Activist and Key Figure Behind 'Seneca Falls Convention')
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
7
Birthdate: November 12, 1815
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Johnstown
Died: October 26, 1902

American women’s rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton first came to know about laws that discriminated against women while studying law books in the office of her father, who was a prominent judge. She later became the president of the National Woman Suffrage Association and co-wrote books such as The Woman's Bible.

James Weldon Johnson
3
Birthdate: June 17, 1871
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Died: June 26, 1938
 8 
Lucy Stone
(American Abolitionist, Suffragist, Orator, and Women's Rights Activist)
Lucy Stone
4
Birthdate: August 13, 1818
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: West Brookfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died: October 19, 1893

Lucy Stone was an American abolitionist, suffragist, orator, and women's rights activist. She was the first woman to earn a college degree from Massachusetts. Stone played a key role in the formation of the Woman's National Loyal League as well as the American Woman Suffrage Association. In 1986, she was made an inductee of the National Women's Hall of Fame.

 9 
Edith Cowan
(Social Campaigner)
Edith Cowan
4
Birthdate: August 2, 1861
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Geraldton, Australia
Died: June 9, 1932

Edith Cowan was an Australian social reformer best remembered for serving as a member of parliament; she was the first Australian woman to do so. She is also remembered for working for the welfare and rights of children and women. In recognition of her contribution, Cowan has been depicted on Australia's fifty-dollar note since 1995.

 10 
Anna Julia Cooper
(One of the Most Important African-American Scholars in US History)
Anna Julia Cooper
2
Birthdate: August 10, 1858
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.A.
Died: February 27, 1964

Anna Julia Cooper was an American author, sociologist, educator, Black liberation activist, and speaker. She was one of the most important African-American scholars in US history. In 1924, Anna Julia Cooper earned her PhD from the University of Paris, becoming only the fourth African-American woman to receive a doctoral degree.

 11 
Mary Church Terrell
(African-American Suffragist, Civil Rights Activist)
Mary Church Terrell
4
Birthdate: September 23, 1863
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Died: July 24, 1954

Mary Church Terrell was an African-American suffragist and civil rights activist. She was one of the first women of African-American heritage to earn a college degree. Terrell helped establish the National Association of Colored Women and served as its first president. Mary Church Terrell was made an inductee of the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2020.

 12 
Wendell Willkie
(Lawyer)
Wendell Willkie
2
Birthdate: February 18, 1892
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Elwood, Indiana, USA
Died: October 8, 1944
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 13 
Mary White Ovington
(American Journalist and Co-founder of the 'National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)')
Mary White Ovington
2
Birthdate: April 11, 1865
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: July 15, 1951

Mary White Ovington was an American journalist and suffragist. She is best remembered as one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Throughout her life, Mary White Ovington remained active in the fight for women's suffrage in the United States of America. She also wrote several articles and books including an autobiography. 

 14 
Septima Poinsette Clark
(Educator)
Septima Poinsette Clark
2
Birthdate: May 3, 1898
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Charleston, South Carolina
Died: December 15, 1987
 15 
Matilda Joslyn Gage
(Abolitionist, Freethinker, Author)
Matilda Joslyn Gage
2
Birthdate: March 24, 1826
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Cicero
Died: March 18, 1898
 16 
Charlotta Spears Bass
(Editor and activist)
Charlotta Spears Bass
2
Birthdate: February 14, 1874
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Sumter, South Carolina
Died: April 12, 1969
 17 
Yun Posun
(President)
Yun Posun
2
Birthdate: August 26, 1897
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Dunpo-myeon, Asan-si, South Korea
Died: July 18, 1990
 18 
William Monroe Trotter
(Editor)
William Monroe Trotter
4
Birthdate: April 7, 1872
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Chillicothe, Ohio, United States
Died: April 7, 1934
 19 
E. D. Nixon
(Civil Rights Activist)
E. D. Nixon
4
Birthdate: July 12, 1899
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Montgomery, Alabama, United States
Died: February 25, 1987
 20 
Prudence Crandall
(Connecticut's official State Heroine)
Prudence Crandall
2
Birthdate: September 3, 1803
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Rhode Island
Died: January 28, 1890
 21 
Lyda D. Newman
(Inventor and involved activist for women's suffrage)
Lyda D. Newman
3
Birthdate: 1885 AD
Birthplace: Ohio, United States
 22 
Itagaki Taisuke
(Soldier)
Itagaki Taisuke
1
Birthdate: May 21, 1837
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Tosa Domain, Japan
Died: July 16, 1919

Initially the commander of the Tosa troops, Itagaki Taisuke participated in the Meiji Restoration. He was the founder of the Liberal Party, which was the first Japanese political party. Itagaki was later stabbed by a right-wing militant, to whom he reacted by saying “Itagaki may die, but liberty, never.”

 23 
Charles S. Johnson
(Sociologist)
Charles S. Johnson
3
Birthdate: July 24, 1893
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Bristol, Virginia, United States
Died: October 27, 1956
 24 
Oscar Stanton De Priest
(American Politician and Civil Rights Advocate)
Oscar Stanton De Priest
1
Birthdate: March 9, 1871
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Florence, Alabama, United States
Died: May 12, 1951
 25 
Sarah Louise Delany
(Educator)
Sarah Louise Delany
4
Birthdate: September 19, 1889
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Lynch Station, Virginia, United States
Died: January 25, 1999
 26 
George Frisbie Hoar
(Politician)
George Frisbie Hoar
1
Birthdate: August 29, 1826
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Concord, Massachusetts, United States
Died: September 30, 1904
 27 
Annie Elizabeth Delany
(Journalist)
Annie Elizabeth Delany
3
Birthdate: September 3, 1891
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
Died: September 25, 1995
 28 
Zechariah Chafee, Jr.
(Professor)
Zechariah Chafee, Jr.
3
Birthdate: December 7, 1885
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Died: February 8, 1957
 29 
William L. Patterson
(Political Leader)
William L. Patterson
1
Birthdate: August 27, 1891
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: San Francisco, California
Died: March 5, 1980
 30 
Yun Chi-ho
(Political Activist and Thinker)
Yun Chi-ho
1
Birthdate: January 23, 1864
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Dunpo-myeon, Asan-si, South Korea
Died: December 6, 1945
 31 
Ralph McGill
(Journalist)
Ralph McGill
1
Birthdate: February 5, 1898
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States
Died: February 3, 1969
 32 
Quamina
(Civil rights activists)
Quamina
2
Birthdate: 1778 AD
Birthplace: Ghana
Died: September 16, 1823
 33 
Maria Weston Chapman
(Abolitionist)
Maria Weston Chapman
3
Birthdate: July 25, 1806
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Weymouth, Massachusetts, United States
Died: July 12, 1885
 34 
Jessie Daniel Ames
(Activist)
Jessie Daniel Ames
1
Birthdate: November 2, 1883
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Palestine, Texas, United States
Died: February 21, 1972
 35 
Elizabeth Rous Comstock
(Social reformer)
Elizabeth Rous Comstock
1
Birthdate: October 30, 1815
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Maidenhead, England
Died: August 3, 1891
 36 
Margaret Dreier Robins
(Labour Leader)
Margaret Dreier Robins
0
Birthdate: September 6, 1868
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
Died: February 21, 1945
 37 
Mary Bonney
(Educator)
Mary Bonney
0
Birthdate: June 8, 1816
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Hamilton, New York, United States
Died: July 24, 1900