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Brown v. Board of Education
Linda Brown was forced to walk past a better, white school every day on the way to her all-black school. Lawyer Thurgood Marshall represented Brown in Brown v. Board and successfully overturned Plessy v. Ferguson. It determined that things were separate and unequal, which was unconstitutional. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks challenged the Jim Crow Laws by refusing to give up her seat and was arrested. This was organized, and black activist leaders organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted 382 days and forced bus companies to join the fight against the law and regain black customers. -
Emmett Till
While visiting family in Mississippi, Emmett Till was kidnapped, beaten, and shot for allegedly whistling at a white woman. Two men were arrested for his murder, but a white jury acquitted them. This incident sparked outrage in the black community. -
Little Rock Nine
Though segregation in schools had been struck down, integration was still being blocked by local government. Nine students in Little Rock were the first to attempt integration. The governor called down the national guard to prevent the nine from coming in, but Eisenhower ordered down the troops of the 101st Airborne Division to help the nine into the school safely. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
Eisenhower protected voter rights by signing the Civil Rights Act of 1957. It allowed federal persecution of anyone who suppressed another individual's right to vote. -
Greensboro Sit-In
Black college students organized a sit-in at a Woolworths lunch counter to protest their "whites only" policy. These eventually successful, peaceful sit-ins inspired other sit-ins throughout the country and made Woolworths change their policy. -
Ruby Bridges
Due to the violence of white protestors, first-grader Ruby Bridges had to be escorted by armed marshalls into her school every day as she becomes the first black student to integrate into her New Orleans elementary school. -
Freedom Rides
The Freedom Rides drew violence of white protestors and great awareness to their cause. The riders were nonviolent volunteers who had ridden along interstates to test new segregation laws, and were met with great animosity along the way. -
Children's Crusade
Hundreds of children staged a walkout in downtown Birmingham. It escalated with local officials intervening and many youth were arrested. The march was televised and caused JFK to intervene in support of Civil Rights. -
Medgar Evers Assassination
In 1963, well-known NAACP representative Medgar Evers was murdered outside his home, which caused great shockwaves and outrage throughout the black community. -
March on Washington
Over 250,000 people took place in the March on Washington, which garnered support for the Civil Rights movement. It was there that MLK delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in front of the Lincoln memorial. -
Church Bombing
16th Street Baptist Church, a popular meeting spot for Civil Rights meetings, was bombed. Inside, there was a youth choir practice being held and four young black girls were killed. This sparked violent riots, where two more black youth were killed. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, which prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, and national origin. Unfortunately, it didn't address political issues or issues associated with voting rights. -
Bloody Sunday
600 peaceful marchers were brutally attacked on their way to Alabama's capitol in what became known as Bloody Sunday. Due to the widespread attention to local officals' violence against a small, peaceful group, the third attempt of the march was supported with federal protection and held around 40,000 by the end. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed into law by LBJ, banned discrimination in local, state, and national elections. It also banned literacy tests, intimidation, and physical violence.