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President Truman, Executive Order 9981
Established equal treatment and opportunity in the United States Armed Forces. -
Roe v. Board of Education
Supreme Court bans segregation in all public schools in the United States. However, many southern states choose not to comply. -
Murder of Emmet Till
One of the most prominent examples of racism in the deep south. Emmet was brutally murdered and his body mutilated after his "flirting" with a white woman. Emmet stands today as an example of the depths racism has hit in our country, and as a reminder to fight against such actions in the future. -
Rosa Parks Refuses to Give Up Her Seat
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man, which sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The first large scale example of the black community organizing and uniting against their common enemy. Martin Luther King Jr emerges as leader of the black Civil Rights movement. -
Founding of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Martin Luther King, Jr. emerges as first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Would prove to be one of the most influential groups of the Civil Rights Movement. -
Little Rock Nine
A group of 9 very brave, young, black people were the first to stand up to segregation in public schools. Their first steps into a Little Rock high school signified the first steps to racial equality that the black community had been seeking for so long. -
North Carolina Sit-in
Four North Carolina college student stage a sit-in at a shop where they are not being served due to their skin color. Gains massive media attention, sit-ins beome common. -
Freedom Riders
The first freedom ride left Washington D.C. on May 4th, scheduled to arrive in new Orleans on May 17th. The Freedom Riders were young people (late teens, early twenties) of both white and black skin color, that rode buses for days on end, preaching their nonviolent, desegregationist ideals to as many people as they could. -
Birmingham Demonstrations
On this day, the Birmingham Demonstrations recieved national media attention when the Birmingham Police released dogs to attack the demonstrators. These demonstrations brought massive media attention and bad press to white segregationists due to the widespread use of visual media and television. -
Medgar Evers Killed
Medgar Evers, leader of the Mississippi NAACP is shot in the back after returning to his house after several NAACP functions. Extreme anger ensued in the black community. -
Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have A Dream" Speech
Possibly the single most remembered moment of the Civil Rights Movement. The unifying speech that still holds strong as one of our nation's most influential and referenced pieces in history. -
Birmingham Church Bombing
A bombing of an all-black church in Birmingham, Alabama, results in the deaths of 4 black girls. Sparks a flame in the hearts of those with minds similar to Malcom X. -
24th Amendment
Outlawed poll taxes. Due to the expensive nature of these taxes, most blacks were not able to afford to vote. With the addition of this amendment and the ratification of the constitution, blacks were now much more likely to be able to vote in local, state, and national elections. -
Martin Luther King Jr's Assassination
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Civil Rights Act
Outlawed many major forms of discrimination between whites and blacks, including racial segregation. -
KKK Murders Civil Rights Activists
James E Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman are all killed by the Ku Klux Klan. All three were civil rights activists. Klan members were acquitted of all charges. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
While trying to quiet a disturbance, Malcolm X was rushed by an assasin. He was pronounced dead with 21 gunshot wounds. His murder is surrounded by mystery, due to his parting with the Nation of Islam and tension with other organizations. -
Bloody Sunday
"Bloody Sunday" The first of the Selma to Montgomery Marches. 600 civil Rights activists were attacked with billy clubs and tear gas. Marking the pinnacle of emotion and tension in the civil Rights Movement. -
Voting Rights Act
Abolished the literacy testing before voting, thus making oting much more attainable for a vast majority of the black community. -
President Johnson, Executive Order 11246
Enforces Affirmative Action, which is racist and hypocritical within itself. Unknown at this time.
