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Brown versus Board of Education
The NAACP challenges the constitutionality of racial segregation in schools, and after going to court about the issues, gets a victory as the court bans segregation from all U.S. public schools. The fight is far from over, however. -
Rosa Parks Defies De Facto
Normally in the South, white people sit in the front of the bus and blacks sit in the back. But when Rosa Parks finds a comfortable sit in the front of a Montgomery bus, she refuses to give up her seat to a white male. She is arrested for her "crimes," but her actions spark blacks to boycott Montgomery buses. -
Little Rock Nine
Although the Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of all schools throughout the U.S.A., there is still widespread fear and hatred for blacks entering formerly all-white schools. The South is particulary oppossed to the idea of racial integration, so when 9 black students try to enter Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas, a large crowd begins to beat them and yell insults. The National Guard is called in to STOP the black students from entering, and so they must fend for themselves. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
An American spyplane finds Soviet missiles being constructed in Cuba. Shocked at the possibility of a nuclear attack next-door, President Kennedy blockades Cuba, preventing any vessel from entering Cuba, including Soviet ships transporting nuclear materials. The crisis ends after America and Nato agree to remove missile sites from Turkey. -
"I Have a Dream"
Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his famous "I Have Dream" speech to about 200,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. -
JFK Assassinated
President Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States of America, is killed by a snipers bullet as he rode through Dallas in a motorcade. The suspected killer is Lee Harvey Oswald, but Oswald is killed by Jack Ruby while being transported to an armored car. -
Civil Rights Act
President Johnson signs the Civil Right Act of 1964, prohibiting discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin. The federal government has the authority to enforce this law whenever necessary. -
Bodies of Civil Rights Workers Found
The bodies of three civil rights workers were found buried near a dam in Philidelphia, Mississippi. They were Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney, all whom disappeared on June 21. Itis now known that they were killed by Ku Kulx Klan members. -
Martin Luther King, Jr. Killed
Martin Luther KIng, Jr. is killed while standing on his balcony at his hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee. He was 39 years old. Convicted of the killing is James Earl Ray. -
Busing in Boston
The Supreme Court rules that to integrate schools that are largely self-segregated, cities must use busing as a legitimate means of integration. The busing plans are called in cities like Charlotte, Boston, and Denver. In Boston, violence quickly erupts as there is nobody supporting such a plan other than the all-white School Board. The violence splits communities apart and fights are common as the racial tension rises. It will be many years before the plan ends, and Boston never fully recovers. -
Barack Obama Elected
After nearly 300 years of a racially divided America, Barack Obama is elected the 44th President of the United States of America. He is the first ever black president and serves as a new model for "all men are created equal."
