The Underground Railroad

• In the 1800s, Cincinnati served as headquarters to abolitionists who published newspapers and anti-slavery tracts addressed to their slave-holding neighbors in Kentucky. The Ohio River and Cincinnati proved to be an important route on the Underground Railroad. Free blacks and white residents opened their homes up as stations for runaway slaves.
  
  

No Guarantees

• The city had a sizable black community in the 1800s. Black churches and white abolitionists helped runaways assimilate into society. But because of Ohio's proximity to Kentucky, a life of freedom was not guaranteed. Slave trackers often searched for runaways in Cincinnati and even took free blacks to the South to be sold. The fear of recapture encouraged many runaways to continue on the Underground Railroad and head toward states farther north or Canada.
  
  

Black Laws

• From the time Ohio became a state in 1803, Black Laws dictated the lives of blacks. The laws discouraged blacks from settling in the state. Those who chose to make Cincinnati their home were segregated from white society. Blacks were not allowed to attend public schools, receive public assistance or fight in the military. Blacks paid $500 for bail or bonds, just in case they were sent to jail.
  
  

Riot of 1829

• The whites who did not like the increasing number of blacks moving into the city made life difficult for these residents. Many blacks wanted to leave but could not afford to settle in more accepting places like Ontario, Canada. In 1829, a mob of 200 white men, including many Irish immigrants, rioted in the black community because they thought they were losing jobs and other opportunities to blacks. They managed to drive out more than 1,000 blacks from the city. Some left the city indefinitely while others returned.
  
  

The Civil War

• Harriet Beecher Stowe, a Cincinnati abolitionist, witnessed slavery firsthand, inspiring her to write "Uncle Tom's Cabin." This book, published in 1852, opened the eyes of the world about the plight of blacks in America. In 1860, the Civil War began and most of the residents in Cincinnati sided with the South. The Black Brigade, a group of local black men who wanted to fight to free slaves, was initially jailed. The men were later freed and allowed to fight in their own regiment.
  
  

NAACP

• In 1915, the Cincinnati branch of the NAACP was formed with only 15 to 20 members. They met in secret in members' homes because they were afraid of losing their jobs. The organization succeeded in getting rid of separate school systems for blacks and whites. The NAACP helped the black community get the support of the court system and the public for equal rights in employment and public accommodations. Membership reached the thousands by the 1960s, participating in demonstrations and sit-ins for civil rights.
  
  

Cincinnati Today

• In the 21st century, Cincinnati still struggles with race; many issues stemming from relations with local police officers. In 2001, the black community was outraged over the case of Timothy Thomas, an unarmed 19-year-old black man who was shot and killed by a white police officer. Riots spread throughout the city, causing Mayor Charlie Luken to set up a curfew and declare a state of emergency. The mayor formed the Cincinnati Community Action Now to address racial tensions in the city.