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Brown v.s. Board of Education
African American and white children were segregated into different schools due to the "separate but equal" rule. The facilities for black children were supposed to be equal to the ones provided for the white students but unfortunately were not. On May 17th 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools are unconstitutional. -
Rosa Parks and Montgomery Bus Boycott
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her bus seat to a white citizen in Montgomery Alabama. This caused an outrage and African Americans in the area organized a boycott in the city of Montgomery to demand desegregation of city buses. This successful event helped Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. rise to the spotlight. -
Jim Crow Laws
During the mid 1800's, the 14th amendment allowed Black people protection under the law. The 15th amendment gave Black American men the right to vote. After the civil war, many white people in the south noticed that Black Americans were slowly becoming as equal to a citizen as they were. This upset many due to the fact that people who once were enslaved, were in the same playing field. -
Little Rock Nine
In September 1957, Little Rock Central High School accepted 9 African American students. The Arkansas National Guard had to escort black students in and out of the school everyday. Many local white people were outrageous about this situation causing them to inflict harm, taunting, and bullying on the African American students. Fast forward to September 1958, Governor Faubus closes all city high schools leaving white kids to go to private schools and black students nowhere. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
In the late 1950's, all citizens had the right to vote but southern states citizens made it tougher for Black people to vote. Some people would develop fake literacy test that were almost impossible to pass and made African Americans take these before they could vote. President Eisenhower had a different point of view and wanted this to end so on September 9th, 1957, he signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 into law allowing prosecution to anyone who tried to prevent voting. -
Sit In Movement
On February 1, 1960, four college students started a new way of peaceful protesting by sitting at a segregated lunch table in a Woolworth's and waited to be served. As these sit-ins grew nationwide, many were harassed and attacked but remained calm and didn't retaliate. The large amounts of these students protesting were able to cripple these segregationist businesses financially. -
Freedom Rides
On May 4, 1961, a group of thirteen black and white protesters boarded a bus in Washington D.C. planning to travel down to New Orleans and make stops at white only bus stops. These were the Freedom Riders. Many ended up being beat and abused for their actions and ended up in jail. "Even though a Supreme Court case outlawed segregation at interstate transportation facilities, the Freedom Riders proved that states were still defying the rule" (Freedom Rides, Savvas). -
Albany Movement
The Albany Movement protested the segregation police in Albany, Georgia and was formed by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference. During this movement, King was given a jail sentence or fine and chose jail to push for change. -
I Have A Dream Speech
On August 8, 1963, over 250,000 people gathered at the Lincoln memorial to hear Martin Luther King Jr. deliver one of the most impacting speeches in history on behalf of the civil rights group. King began his speech by referencing the bible, U.S. Constitution, and other universal themes to frame his picture he was painting. Mr. King phrases "little Black boys and Black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and girls as sisters and brothers" demonstrating unity. -
March on Washington
On August 28th, 1963, a peaceful march was organized by the Lincoln memorial with the purpose of forcing civil rights legislation and establishing equality for everyone. This was known as the March on Washington that gathered around 200,000 people and was organized by Martin Luther King Jr., A Philip Randolph, and Bayard Rustin. -
16th Street Baptist Church
On the morning of September 15th, 1963, members of the Ku Klux Klan set off a bomb at the 16th street baptist church. Debris flew everywhere injuring many and also killing four young girls attending Sunday school. This caused an outrage in the Civil Rights era. -
Freedom Summer
In the middle of June 1964, thousands out of state volunteers and veteran activists arrived in Mississippi for the Mississippi Summer Project known as the Freedom Summer. These people helped local African Americans get their voting rights back. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
On July 2nd, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed off the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and was initiated by John F. Kennedy. Civil rights activists along with MLK witnessed the signing. This law guaranteed equal employment for all, allowed federal authorities to ensure public facilities were integrated, and limited the use of voter literacy tests. -
Malcolm X
Malcolm X was a very important leader in the civil rights movement and Black Nationalism. Malcolm helped set the tone for the ideological and tactical conflicts in the black freedom struggles during the 1960's. In 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated by gunfire before the black power movement began to do well. -
Bloody Sunday
Down in Alabama on March 7th of 1965, 600 civil rights activists participated in a peaceful protest march known as the Selma Montgomery March to protest the killing of Black civil rights activist Jimmy Lee Jackson. The Alabama state and local police blocked off the protesters as they were nearing the Edmund Pettus Bridge and viciously beat them causing many to be hospitalized. -
"We Shall Overcome" speech
Just days after Bloody Sunday, President Lyndon B. Johnson held a nationwide televised speech. He announced that he would be introducing the voting rights legislation. Johnson stated "All of us must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome". Johnson's legislation would be known as the Voting Acts Rights on 1965. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
On August 6th, 1965, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law and wanted to make it really make an impact. He made sure the new law banned all voter literacy tests and provided federal examiners in certain voting jurisdictions. Another benefit of this law was allowing the attorney general to contest state and local poll taxes. -
Chicago Freedom Movement
The Chicago Freedom Movement protested segregated housing, educational deficiencies, and employment and health disparities based on racism. There were many rallies and marches held to face issues of Black Chicago residents. MLK joined one of the marches on August 5th, 1966 and the activists were physically attacked throughout the whole march. -
Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated
On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was standing on the balcony of his motel in Memphis Tennessee when James Earl Ray shot King from a couple blocks northwest. Many people were impacted by King's death and resulted in causing violence and starting riots around the nation. The Civil Rights movement had lost one of their most impacting leaders and were full of sorrow for months. -
Fair Housing Act of 1968
On April 11th, 1968, the Fair Housing Act law went into effect after King's assassination. This law prevented housing discrimination based on sex, race, national origin, and religion. This was also the last legislation enacted during the civil rights era.