-
The Supreme Court Decision Of Plessy v. Ferguson
On May 18, 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson ruled that separate-but-equal facilities were constitutional. The Plessy v. Ferguson decision upheld the principle of racial segregation over the next half-century. -
The Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen was deactivated in May 1946, but its success would contribute to the eventual integration of the United States military and the eventual desegregation of the U.S. Armed Forces in 1948 when President Truman issued Executive Order 9981, calling for "equality of treatment and opportunity" in the armed … -
The Integration of Major League Baseball
On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson, age 28, becomes the first African American player in Major League Baseball's modern era when he steps onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn to compete for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson broke the color barrier in a sport that had been segregated for more than 50 years. -
The Integration of the Armed Forces
Truman issued Executive Order 9981, which declared “that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.” In short, it was an end to racial segregation in the military, a political act unmatched since the days of … -
The Supreme Court Decision of Sweatt v. Painter
Sweatt v. Painter, a Supreme Court case in 1950 that allowed an African American named Heman Sweatt to attend the University of Texas Law School. The caveat of providing an “equal” education proved challenging for segregated states. Those searching for civil rights needed to confront segregation. -
The Supreme Court Decision of Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court's ruling in Brown overruled Plessy v. the "separate but equal" doctrine was unconstitutional for American educational facilities and public schools. This decision led to more integration in other areas and was seen victory for the Civil Rights Movement.heldFerguson said that as a major -
The Death of Emmitt Till
Emmett Till's murder was a spark in the upsurge of activism and resistance that became known as the Civil Rights movement. The sight of his brutalized body pushed many who had been content to stay on the sidelines directly into the fight. -
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
In 1955, Parks rejected a bus driver's order to leave a row of four seats in the "colored" section once the white section had filled up and move to the back of the bus. Her defiance sparked a successful boycott of buses in Montgomery a few days later. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1957
The result was the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. The new act established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. -
The Integration of Little Rock High School
The Little Rock Nine became an integral part of the fight for equal opportunity in American education when they dared to challenge public school segregation by enrolling at the all-white Central High School in 1957. -
The Greensboro Four Lunch Counter Sit-In
On February 1, 1960, four friends sat down at a lunch counter in Greensboro. That may not sound like a legendary moment, but it was. The four people were African American, and they sat where African Americans weren't allowed to sit. They did this to take a stand against segregation. -
The Freedom Rides by Freedom Riders of 1961
Through their defiance, the Freedom Riders attracted the attention of the Kennedy Administration and as a direct result of their work, the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) issued regulations banning segregation in interstate travel that fall. -
The Integration of the University of Mississippi
A triumph of law and order, Meredith's admission was a pivotal movement in the civil rights movement—clearly demonstrating the federal government's willingness to use force to ensure equal rights for black Americans—and was the final time troops were deployed during the struggle. -
The Integration of the University of Alabama
President John F. Kennedy federalized National Guard troops and deployed them to the University of Alabama to force its desegregation. The next day, Governor Wallace yielded to the federal pressure, and two African American students,Vivian Malone and James A. Hood,successfully enrolled. -
The March on Washington & I Have a Dream Speech by MLK
The one-day event both protested racial discrimination and encouraged the passage of civil rights legislation; at the time, the Civil Rights Act was being discussed in Congress. -
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas Texas
Shortly after being sworn in following President Kennedy's assassination, President Lyndon B. Johnson urged the passage of the Civil Rights Act be carried out in honor of the late president. Johnson used his connections and experience gained as former Senate Majority Leader to sucessfuly negotiate support for the bill. -
The Twenty-Fourth Amendment
Twenty-fourth Amendment, amendment (1964) to the Constitution of the United States that prohibited the federal and state governments from imposing poll taxes before a citizen could participate in a federal election. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 signed by President Johnson
By signing the Civil Rights Act in 1964 in the East Room of the White House, President Johnson helped eliminate voting discrimination against African Americans. The act also abolished racial discrimination in public facilities and in public education. -
The Assassination of Malcolm X
He argued for black power, black self-defense and black economic autonomy, and encouraged racial pride. -
The Selma to Montgomery March: "Bloody Sunday"
The three marches at Selma were a pivotal turning point in the civil rights movement. Because of the powerful impact of the marches in Selma, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was presented to Congress on March 17, 1965. President Johnson signed the bill into law on August 6, 1965. -
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
It outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting. This “act to enforce the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution” was signed into law 95 years after the amendment was ratified. -
The Voting Rights Act of 1968
The Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed under the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. -
The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis Tennessee
His murder, like the killing of Malcolm X in 1965, radicalized many moderate African American activists, fueling the growth of the Black Power movement and the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
