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Montgomery Bus Boycott
In extension of Rosa Parks's actions, local African American ministers led a protest of the segregated buses. Martin Luther King Jr. was the minister leading the successful boycott of the Montgomery buses. A complex carpool system arose as protesters continued to boycott the buses. Lasting 381 days and spawning several black-targeted bombings, firings, and other crimes, the Supreme Court ruled segregated buses as unconstitutional and the boycott was ended. -
King forms the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Pledging to nonviolently resist the prejudice in America, King and members form to fight for equality. -
Little Rock Nine
Segregated schooling now being declared unconstitutional, Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas would be subject to integration-if Governor Faubus didn't stop it. Only allowed nine black teens to attend among thousands of white teens and calling upon the Arkansas National Guard to stop them from entering the school, Faubus would not let Little Rock integrate. The nine teens were kept out of school by the angry white mob. Eventually President Eisenhower was called to help the students atte -
Sit Ins Force Businesses to Give Up Segregation
After being denied service at a local eatery, four North Carolinian students occupy the businesses space to end the segregation. Coming back the next day with a larger crowd and continuing to block service, the business eventually gave in and started serving African Americans. As word spread of success, other establishments were challenged by the sitting protesters. -
Ella Baker forms the Students Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
North Carolinian activist Baker gathered college students to take a stand against unjust laws. Refraining from violence, using direct action, and participating in civil disobedience were all ways the committee furthered their campaign for equality. -
Freedom Riders Take Action
With segregated interstate travel declared illegal, activists from CORE and SNCC intended to push uncompliant southern states. Two buses of mixed individuals boarded at Washington D.C. and set out to Alabama. Both buses were attacked by mobs when they arrived. Firebombs were thrown and several of the African American riders were beaten and imprisoned. Finally, federal marshalls were sent to ensure safe travels, and the federal government declared that buses and bus terminals must be integrated. -
James Meredith and Ole Miss
After standing with integration by applying to the University of Mississippi, Meredith's denial was ruled as maintaining segregation. After Mississippi Governor Barnett vowed to keep Meredith out of the school, President JFK sent escorts and guards to ensure Meredith could attend the University. Riots broke out and Meredith was subject to harsh taunting, although he stood for desegregation in Mississippi. -
Birmingham Campaign
Taking the struggle for equality to the deep south, SCLC organized several marches in the heavily segregated town. After King and other activists were jailed, change finally came as children marched the streets and protesters were subject to violent police action-actions which spread throughout the nation in newspapers. -
March on Washington
With the increased support in the civil rights movement, activists felt the long-desired opportunity to organize the protest had come. Celebrities and civil rights leaders joined the march alike along with 250,000 others, marking the largest gathering in the history of the United States at that point. It was at this gathering that King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. Soon after, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, the most monumental civil rights law passed since the end of the Civil War -
Malcolm X
Adopting Islam during his time in prison, Malcolm X went on to promote black nationalism and a non-integrated society. Furthering differing from other civil rights leader of his time, Malcolm did not support nonviolence. Malcolm preached that if black communities were the only ones taking up nonviolence while white men continued to use force, activists should not support it. Malcolm continued to inspire many aspects of the later Civil Rights Movement until his assassination in 1965. -
Freedom Summer
Given the new push for voter freedom, several student activists were sent south to ensure individuals could get registered. Many faced opposition-including death. As opposition to black voting rights persisted, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed, banning any and all literacy tests to stop polls. The struggle for political freedom pushed on, and eventually a significant amount of African Americans had been registered to vote -
March Against Fear
Meredith, the first black graduate from the University of Mississippi, rallied for a civil rights march in Memphis Tennesee. Intending to stand up for black rights by registering to vote, Meredith organized a march from Memphis to Jackson, Mississippi. Only 30 miles out of Memphis, Meredith was shot by a sniper. -
SNCC and Stokely Carmicheal
Calling for change, Stokely Carmichael turned the civil rights movement in a new direction given his introduction of Black Power. Sending the movement on a path of self-determination, Carmichael and SNCC preached on ignoring the white man's society and building their own. -
Watts Riots
Years of unrest had been building in urban black communities known as ghettos. Angered by "poverty, prejudice and police mistreatment," Los Angeles ghettos exploded when police brutality had occurred one night. Lasting six long days, the National Guard finally ended the riots after 34 deaths and $45 million in property damage. -
Black Power
Continuing Carmichael's push, black communities around the nation began a further increased movement in self-determination. Afrocentrism became apparent in schools. Blackpoll counts were higher than ever before. The Black Panthers organized breakfast programs and observers for police brutality. Black tv programs began airing. -
Civil Rights Act of 1968
Before his death, King focused on the rights of African Americans in the housing industry. Different reality pacts kept minorities out of certain neighborhoods. With all his efforts, little change was made. However, only days after King's death, the law was passed in Congress after the nationwide upset. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 prohibited any restriction in the housing industry with punishable lawsuits. -
Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education
Although housing owners could no longer legally deny home buyers ownership due to race, unofficial pacts between neighboring homeowners kept minorities out of white neighborhoods. This segregation, in turn, led to all-white neighborhoods and all-black neighborhoods, which prevented schools from integrating-specifically in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District. To solve this issue, one federal judge ordered all students to be bused to different schools, forcing integration. -
Boston: Busing to Desegregate Schools
As busing was used to desegregate schools across the country, opposition to the method was met in Boston. While integrating 17,000 school children in Boston, white families had had enough of the civil rights efforts forcing their children on long bus rides into unfamiliar neighborhoods. At the start of a new year, 90% of white students boycotted classes. Black bus riders had rocks thrown at them. A white student was stabbed, and other black students trapped inside the school. Many white students -
Affirmative Action: Regent of the University of CA v. Bakke
Many argued that simply leveling the playing field was in no way fair for the history of African Americans. To make up for this, universities, businesses, and the government set forward affirmative action. Giving minorities and women preferential treatment over white males. This helped diversify many fields, however it soon became argued against for being reverse discriminatory-and it still is today. After being denied from medical school twice, Alan Bakke found minorities students with lower av
