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Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Fersguson upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws for public facilities as long as the segregated facilities were equal in quality. It was known for a doctrine that came to be known as "separate but equal". -
NAACP
The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was founded on February 12, 1909, in New York, NY. Its purpose is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of people. -
De Jure v. De Facto Segregation
People lived by the concepts of "De Facto" and "De Jure". "De Facto" means a state of affairs that is true in fact, but that is not officially sanctioned, while "De Jure" means a state of affairs that is in accordance with law. -
Brown v Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas was a landmark 1954 Supreme Court case that overturned the 'separate but equal' approach to public schooling and violated the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. -
Emmett Til
Emmett Till was a 14-year-old African American who was lynched in Mississippi on August 28, 1955 after being accused of offending a white woman in her family's grocery store. His body was found beaten and deformed in the Tallahassee River. -
Rosa Parks
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks sat on a bus in a seat reserved for "Whites Only" and refused to get up when asked to. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a civil-rights protest during which African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama, to protest segregated seating.It place from December 5, 1955, to December 20, 1956. -
Little Rock School Integration
In the fall of 1957, Governor Orval Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to prevent African American students from enrolling at Central High School (an all white school). -
The Sit-Ins
The sit-in movement: students from across the country came together to form the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and organize sit-ins at counters throughout the South. -
Freedom Rides
Civil rights activists known as "Freedom Riders" rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States in 1961. Their goals were to desegregate interstate transportation, including highways, bus stops, and train terminals. -
March on Washington
About a quarter million people converged on the nation's capital of Washington D.C. to demand civil rights for African-Americans such as jobs and freedom. -
March on Birmingham
People marched to bring attention to the integration efforts of African Americans in Birmingham, Alabama. -
Malcom X
Malcolm lead the Unity Rally in Harlem (one of the nations largest civil rights events). -
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
King's infamous "I Have a Dream" speech occurred where he called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States. He followed Thoreau's concept of "civil disobedience", meaning going against society's views. One of his biggest influences was Gandhi, who focused on the "non-violent" concept of life through protesting. Another influence of his was Phillip Randolph-- a Civil Rights Movement Leader. -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment abolished the poll tax for all federal elections. It also gave everyone an equal opportunity to vote. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Acts ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. -
March from Selma to Montgomery
About 600 people started a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, on Sunday March 7, 1965. They called against federal voting rights legislation to protect African Americans from barriers that prevented them from voting. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 to ensure state and local governments do not pass laws or policies that deny American citizens the equal right to vote based on race. -
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party was founded on October 15, 1966 in Oakland, California, by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. Its purpose was to patrol African American neighborhoods and protect residents from acts of police brutality. -
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an American lawyer, serving as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was the Court's first African-American justice. -
Race Riots
Riots became very violent. People rooted for justice involving a multitude of political, economic, and social issues including police abuse, lack of affordable housing, urban renewal projects, economic inequality, black militancy, and rapid demographic change.
