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Civil Rights Movement
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Emmett Tills Murder
The 14-year-old black boy, Emmett Till, was brutally murdered in August 1955 after two Mississippians claimed he whistled at a white woman. Their bragging of the committed crime sparked the civil rights movement. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery bus boycott started with Rosa Parks's arrest on December 1, 1955, and for 13 months was a protest that ended in a ruling by the US Supreme Court declaring that segregation on public transportation is unconstitutional. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
The 1957 act created a Civil Rights Division within the Department of Justice and a commission to look into civil rights offenses. The 1957 Civil Rights Act made it legal to prosecute those who refuse citizens of the United States the right to vote. -
Founding of the Southern Christian Leadership
A civil rights group known as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was founded in 1957. It was successful in arranging a 381-day boycott of the segregated bus system in Montgomery, Alabama. -
Little Rock Nine Crisis
The Little Rock Nine were nine African American students enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. After their enrollment followed the Little Rock Crisis, in which Arkansas Governor first prohibited the kids from using
the racially segregated school. -
Greensboro Sit In
Four friends in Greensboro decided to protest racially segregated restaurants by sitting down where they were prohibited from seating and refused to move. -
Freedom Riders
In an effort to protest segregated bus terminals, groups of white and African American civil rights activists took part in the 1961 Freedom Rides, which were bus journeys through the American South. These protests were in reposes to the southern states ignoring the Supreme Court's ruling that segregated transportation was unlawful and unconstitutional. -
Albany Campaign
The Albany Movement aimed to remove all kinds of racial segregation in the city, with a focus on desegregating public transportation, forming a permanent biracial commission to look into further desegregation, and freeing people incarcerated in segregation protests. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
The 39-year-old minister and civil rights activist Malcolm X was shot and killed on February 21, 1965, in Harlem. Three members of the Nation of Islam were released on parole after being convicted of murder. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a fundamental piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. This act was passed into law by President Lyndon B. -
Swann vs. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Busing children to integrate public schools was brought up in the Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education case. The busing strategy was confirmed by the Supreme Court as a way of establishing racial balance in schools. -
Shirley Chisolm’s Presidential Campaign
Shirley Chisolm was the first black womn to run as president. Chisholm was the second African American elected to the New York State Legislature in 1964. She was appointed to Congress in 1968 and is known as "Fighting Shirley,". Chisholm provided over 50 bills favoring those in poverty, racial and gender equality, and the ending of the Vietnam War. -
Hank Aaron's Home Run Record
Hank Aaron has been known for hitting more home runs than any other baseball player in history for over thirty years. Throughout his career, the baseball player broke through racial barriers and spoke out against the systemic bias in major league baseball. -
Barbara Jordan’s Address at the Democratic National Convention
Jordan was the first black woman to deliver a keynote address at a party convention. She emphasized the importance of a "national community" and advocated for the common good. -
University of California Regents Vs. Bakke
In the 1978 Supreme Court case Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, it was ruled that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment had been violated by an institution's admissions policy that used race as an apparent factor for an admission decision.