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The African American Civil Rights Movement is formed
The African American Civil Rights Movement is formed. Many Black Americans are sick of segregation start the movement to gain equality. The significance of this event is extreme, as it was a literal turning point in American History -
Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till of Chicago is murdered while visiting Mississippi. He was caught whistling at a white woman, something unspeakable in the state, and was promptly murdered by the woman's husband. His body was recovered 3 days later, and was found mutilated with a 32kg fan used to sink him. The significance of this event was the coming together of the African-American community to condemn this vile act. -
Rosa Parks Montgomery Bus incident
After working long hours on the 1st December 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a bus on Cleveland Ave, Montgomery, Alabama. The bus started to fill as it progressed, until there were not enough seats for white passengers when it reached the Empire Theater. The driver demanded that Rosa stand to give a white man a seat, yet she refused, and was promptly arrested. The event lead to the year-long Montgomery Bus Boycott, which came to a close when the supreme court declared segregated buses unconstitutional. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington was an attempt to make their six main goals of the movement, these goals being; meaningful civil rights laws, a massive federal works program, full and fair employment, decent housing, the right to vote and adequate integrated education. The march contained 200,000 to 300,000 demonstrators, who all wanted the same goal. The legendary "I Have a Dream" speech was given at the march by Martin Luther King Jr, and the demonstration started to gain public interest. -
The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
At 6.01pm, on the balcony of Room 306 at the Lorraine Hotel, Memphis, Martin Luther King Jr. was struck by a bullet fired from a Remington Model 760 rifle. Witness saw a man later identified as James Earl Ray flee from the scene, that man turned out to be the one who fired that fateful shot. King was dead 1 hour and 4 minutes after he was shot. This shot was probably one of the most significant moments of the 15 years of the civil rights movement, and showed an uproar of support from the public -
Civil Rights Act of 1968
On the 11th April 1968, 7 days after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., The Civil Rights Act of 1968 was enacted, making it a federal crime to “by force or by threat of force, injure, intimidate, or interfere with anyone … by reason of their race, color, religion, or national origin.” This was a huge step forward, and was a beautiful conclusion to the Civil Rights Movement. The significance is still seen today, and the act continues to bring together Americans of any race.
