1863: The Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Lincoln declared that the U.S. gov­ernment did not recognize the institution of slav­ery.

1865: The Thirteenth Amendment to the Con­stitution made slavery a crime in the United States.

1870: Black Americans were given the right to vote by the Fifteenth Amendment.

1896: In the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court approved of segregation by ac­cepting the concept that facilities for blacks and whites could be "separate but equal."

1954: The Supreme Court overturned the "sep­arate but equal" doctrine and pushed for imme­diate desegregation.

Today: Voters in several states have voted down Affirmative Action measures, which are meant to equalize the opportunities available to all.

1861: A Western Union telegraph line between New York and San Francisco brought an end to the Pony Express letter delivery system.

1876: Alexander Graham...