-
The Supreme Court Decision of Plessy v Ferguson
It essentially established the constitutionality of racial segregation. It also interfered with the freedom of movement of both African Americans and whites based on their race. -
The Tuskegee Airmen
They were the first African American soldiers to complete their training and enter the Army Air Corps. -
The Integration of Major League Baseball
Jackie Robinson becoming an MLB player became a key symbol of equality during the Civil Rights. -
The Integration of the Armed Forces
It was declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equal treatment & opportunity for everyone in the armed services of any race, color, or religion. -
The Supreme Court Decision of Sweatt v Painter
It was important because it overturned the separate but equal doctrine by requiring schools to teach black students. -
The Supreme Court Decision of Brown v. Board of Education
This case signaled the end of legalized racial segregation in the schools of the U.S, overruling the "separate but equal" principle outlined in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case. -
The Death of Emmitt Till
The newspaper coverage and murder trial scared a generation of young African Americans to join the Civil Rights Movement out of fear that such an incident could happen to friends, family, or even themselves. -
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Supreme Court ruling and declining revenues forced the city to desegregate its buses thirteen months later. -
The Integration of Little Rock High School
Governor Orval Faubus attempted to block nine Black students from entering the school. It helped Eisenhower to get schools desegregated and allow blacks to go to white-only schools. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1957
This act established the Civil Rights empowerment of federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. -
The Greensboro Four Lunch Counter Sit-In
These four men did something no one else did to try and stand against segregation at white restaurants. -
The Freedom Rides by Freedom Riders of 1961
The Freedom Riders attracted the attention of the Kennedy Administration & as a result of their work, ICC issued regulations banning segregation in interstate travel. -
The Twenty-Fourth Amendment
It eliminated Poll Taxes. It abolished the federal and state governments from imposing taxes on voters during federal elections. -
The Integration of the University of Mississippi
It demonstrated the federal government's willingness to use force to ensure equal rights for African Americans. -
The Integration of the University of Alabama
It opened doors not only to two Black students but to decades of progress toward becoming an inclusive campus. -
The March on Washington & "I Have a Dream" Speech by MLK
This speech protested racial discrimination and encouraged the passage of civil rights legislation. -
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas
Kennedy's death brought an abrupt end to his supporters' sense of optimism about the country's future. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 signed by President Johnson
This civil rights act forbade discrimination based on sex, as well as, race in hiring, promoting, and firing. -
The Assassination of Malcolm X
He is credited with raising the self-esteem of black Americans and reconnecting them with their African heritage. -
The Selma to Montgomery March: "Bloody Sunday"
This event became a landmark in the American civil rights movement and directly led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
It outlawed the discrimination voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests as a requirement for voting. -
The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee
Black Americans were devastated, hurt, and angered. Violence erupted all over the U.S. due to his death. -
The Voting Rights Act of 1968
The Voting Rights Act prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, sex, handicap, and family status.