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Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
In this case, the segregation of schools was ruled to be unconstitutional. -
The Murder of Emmett Till
After supposedly whistling at a white woman, Mr. Till was kidnapped, beaten, shot, and dumped in the Tallahatchie River. The men responsible were acquitted and even boast about the murder. This becomes a powerful symbol of how civil rights are so far from equal. -
Rosa Parks
In Montgomery, AL, after Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white person she is arrested. Her arrest was the start of a bus boycott. -
Busses Desegregated
In Montgomery, AL busses are desegregated after an all out bus boycott. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Martin Luther King Jr., Charles Steele, and Fred Shuttlesworth all come together to create this conference. The SCLC was a major force in the fight for civil rights. -
Students Blocked From Entering School
In Little Rock, Ark black students were stopped from entering their school (intergrated) by several people including Governor Orval Faubus. -
Refusal of Service
Four black students go to Woolworth's lunch counter and although they are allowed to sit at the counter, they are not served. This triggered many nonviolent protests. By the end, the same four students were served at the very same counter. -
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
At Shaw University, this committee was able to provide aid to young blacks in the fight for civil rights. -
Freedom Riders
Students volunteer to take trips down South to test new laws that prohibit segregation. These students were attacked by mobs of people. The freedom riders included both black and white students. -
James Meredith
He was the first black to enroll at the University of Mississippi. Federal troops had to be called in to stop the riots. -
MLK arrested
It was during this arrest he wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail". -
I Have a Dream Speech Given in Washington D.C. by MLK
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Bomb at a Church
Four girls are killed when their church (which was a popular place for civil rights meetings) explodes. -
No More Poll Tax
The 24th Amendment which was created to prevent blacks from voting is abolished. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
President Johnson passed this act that gives the federal goverment the right to enforce desegregation. This is one of the most powerful civil rights acts created, making any discriminations based on color, race, religion, or national origin illegal. -
Malcolm X murdered