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Emmett Till
Emmett Till was born in Chicago during the 1940's. Later, he would move to Mississippi, which would lead to his demise. On August 24, 1955, as Till was buying bubble gum, he flirted with the white female store clerk, who happened to be the store owner's wife, and he was later lynched. He became a symbol of the Civil Rights Movement because it showed the inhumanity of the opposition, who mutilated a 14 year old boy. -
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Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was an attempt to gain equal rights by African Americans. African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama began to boycott the buses after Rosa Parks was imprisoned for not giving up her seat on a bus. After the financial effects were felt from the boycott, the Supreme Court intervened and forced the buses to be integrated, ending the boycott. -
Little Rock 9
The Little Rock 9 was a group of nine African American students who enrolled in a formerly all-white school in Little Rock, Arkansas. On the day they were first supposed to attend, white students and parents refused to go into school with the African-Americans. As they were required to , the governor Orval Faubus of Arkansas shut down the school, which led to the federal army's intervention. This led to the Supreme Court ruling that all schools must be integrated. in September of 1957. -
Youth Movement: SNCC and Sit-Ins
This was an organization created by a group of college students. The SNCC was more proactive in boycotts, and other physical actions against segregation. The idea for these college students to create their own group was proposed by Ella Baker, a member of the SCLC, when she told them that they should make their own group that prioritized their own needs. -
Freedom Riders
The Freedom Riders were created by 13 African American and White civil rights activists on May 4th of 1961. They attempted to integrate the deep south by using the bathrooms, restaurants, buses, etc. that weren't assigned to their skin pigment. This was encountered with great amounts of violence from the civil-rights opposition. -
James Meredith and Ole Miss
James Meredith was the first African American student to attempt to enroll at the University of Ole Miss. This led to massive riots breaking out, leaving many wounded and dead, which eventually caused President Kennedy to intervene using the U.S army. -
The Philosophy of Non-Violence: Letters From a Birmingham Jail
These were letters issued by Dr. King during one of his many times in jail. He wrote these letters in response to white clergyman stating in a newspaper that he needs to take his foot of the gas pedal and be more patient in his actions towards equality. He responds to these by saying that the African Americans have been waiting for too long. -
March on Washington
The march consisted of more than 200,000 civil rights activists. This was an action that put pressure on President Kennedy to proceed on with further civil rights bills and amendments. As well as this, the SNCC was dissuaded from giving their severely critical speech of JFK, which led to Dr. King's "I have a dream speach". -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act prohibited segregation based on race, religion, or nationality in all public places. As well as this, the act prohibited the use of federal funds for discriminatory programs. -
Freedom Summer
The Freedom Summer was an attempt by the organizations CORE and the SNCC to have a voter registration drive. The main goal of this was to promote black voting in Mississippi. The event was heavily opposed by groups such as the KKK. -
Malcolm X
Malcolm X was the voice of Black Muslims. He had a more active approach to the civil rights movement, and believed that African Americans needed to protect themselves by any means necessary. He would later take back this statement after making his trip to Mecca, where he learned that Muslims treated all races with equality. He also founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity. -
Selma to Montgomery March
This was an attempt to march from Selma, Alabama to the state capital of Montgomery. This march created an awareness of the difficulty that black voters faced. -
Voting Rights Act
The Act was signed into action by President Lyndon B. Johnson, after JFK died. The act banned literacy tests, required federal oversight of the voter registration areas, and in states where less than 50% of the non-white population hasn't registered to vote, the attorney general had the right to investigate that state for its policies. -
Project C and Children’s March
This was an event organized by the SCLC. Since the support for the civil rights movement was waning in Alabama, the SCLC began to recruit students. So, in May of 1978, a thousand African American students in Birmingham skipped school to protest. This was met with violent actions by Bull Connor, which gained global attention, and made support for the cil rights movement greatly increase.
