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Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a Supreme Court case which was brought up because Homer Plessy refused to ride in an African-American train car. Plessy lost the case because the court decided that the state law did not conflict with the 13th and 14th amendment. This event was important because after the case it encouraged the Jim Crow lesgislation. https://www.britannica.com/event/Plessy-v-Ferguson-1896 -
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Brown v. Board of Education
With Plessy v. Ferguson establishing separate but equal, public schools now were also segregated. Many of the public schools for whites were much nicer then their counterparts, this led to many African Americans trying to get into these schools for whites which led to this case. Because of the court case separate but equal laws were now considered a violation of the fourteenth amendment and its Equal Protection Clause. https://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1955/347us483 -
Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was dared to ask out the white woman inside a country store. There was no witnesses inside the store but he was heard saying "Bye, baby", she then claimed he grabbed her and made lewd advances on her and reported his to her husband who later demanded to see him and took him from his home and dumped his body in the Tallahatchie River. He was given an open-casket funeral which helped to start the civil rights movement and the end of Jim Crow Laws. https://goo.gl/vX4vfG -
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Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving her seat to a white man on the bus. This launched a major bus boycott in Montgomery led by Martin Luther King Jr. which led to the end of the segregation of buses. Due to the boycotts success King was now the face of the civil rights movement. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/rosa-parks-ignites-bus-boycot -
SCLC & Martin Luther King
The organization was founded to assist local organizations who were working for full equality of African Americans. The organization was primarily operated in the south. It became a major player in the civil rights march on Washington along with early campaigns that spurred the passage of the federal Civil Rights Act. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Southern-Christian-Leadership-Conference -
Little Rock Nine & Central High School
Nine African Americans challenged racial segregation enrolled into a former all white high school. When they arrived to school they were met by a mob of whites and the national guard which blocked the door stating that the nine were not allowed to attend but with federal troops they were later escorted between their classes. This drew attention to racism and civil rights along with a battle between state and federal government. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Little-Rock-Nine -
Greensboro Sit-In
Four African American men spurred by the Emmett Till staged a sit in at a whites only dinner and refused to give up their seats when they were denied service. These sit in spread across america into over 55 cities. The sit in ultimately spurred the integration of dinners across the south https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/the-greensboro-sit-in -
Freedom Ride/Freedom Riders
After the segregation of buses was found unconstitutional in an effort to test the decision by ridding through the south on interstate buses. Along the way they went to whites only bathrooms and lunch counters, because of this they experienced violence from whites and police. Because of the ride Kennedy finally introduced regulations prohibiting the segregation in interstate transit terminals. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/freedom-rides -
March on Washington
The March on Washington was a massive protest march that occurred in August 1963. 250,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln memorial in Washington, D.C for Jobs and Freedom. The protest was aimed towards drawing the attention to the challenges facing African-Americans. This was the location where MLK made his famous "I have a dream speech" https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/march-on-washington -
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) & Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer was a 1964 voter registration drive. It was sponsored by civil rights organizations such as the Congress on Racial Equality and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. The main goal of Freedom Summer was to expand black voting in the south. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/freedom-summer -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act ended segregation and ended the employment discrimination. It received strong opposition from the southern members of congress but was signed by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. This paved the way for follow up laws like the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Fair Housing Act of of 1968. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-act -
Assassination of Malcolm X
In the early 1960s, Malcolm X began to develop a different philosophy than that of Elijah Muhammad. This caused outrage in the black Islamic community. He was assassinated on February 21, 1965 while speaking at a rally of his organization in NYC. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/malcolm-x-assassinated -
Voting Rights Act
The voting rights act of 1965 was signed by Lyndon B. Johnson in order to overcome legal barriers that prevented African Americans from voting. This act banned the use of literacy test and other methods that people used to keep African-Americans from voting. Voter turn out increased as a result from this act. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/voting-rights-act -
Assassination of MLK
The next day after the speech King made in Memphis, Tennessee to support a sanitation workers strike, he was standing on the second floor balcony of the Lorraine motel and all of a sudden, a sniper bullet hit him in the neck. After his death, rioting sparked all across the country. Soon after, Lyndon B. Johnson passed the civil rights act. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr-assassination
