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Brown v Board of Education
The NAACP brought 5 cases to the Supreme Court to overturn the separate but equal doctrine. The court decided that segregation in schools violated the 14th amendment and was unconstitutional, they ruled 9-0. Blacks still didn’t get to go to school. -
The Murder Of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was accused of whistling at a white woman. 3 days later Roy Bryant and others kidnapped him. He was then found in a river with a detached eye, ear cut off, barbed wire wrapped around his neck, and weighed down by a 75 lb fan. There was an open casket at the funeral and 50,000 people came to visit. Bryant and Milan were found not guilty. -
Rosa Parks and The Bus Boycott
In Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat on the bus for a white person. She was fined $10. Blacks met at a church and Martin Luther King Jr and other church members sent out flyers to boycott the bus system on December 5. The buses ran empty for 381 days. South Carolina ruled against segregated buses. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Churches organized nonviolent black events for people to vote. Martin Luther King Jr was the first of the Montgomery bus boycott. They also wanted universal income against the Vietnam War. -
Little Rock 9
In Little Rock, Arkansas 9 students were picked by the NAACP to go to school. They were trained how to handle the events. The National Guard came to escort them. President Eisenhower brought in 1,200 troops. -
Greensboro Sit ins
In Greensboro, NC 4 college students went to Woolworth’s to buy items and sit at the lunch counter. They were refused service and were told to leave, but they stayed. Day after day they came back, and more people joined. The amount of students grew to 1000. Woolworth’s was losing $1.8 mill so they decided to serve the black community. -
Freedom Riders
436 individuals took part in 60 separate freedom rides. They started in Washington, D.C. and went down to the deep south in an attempt to desegregate bus stations, diners, and hotels. A group of volunteers, mostly in college, from 39 states, arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina. They were greeted by the KKK who slashed their tires, burned buses, and beat them. This happened town after town. -
March on Washington
On Aug 28, 1963, 250,000 people gathered in Washington D.C. It was a peaceful and respectful protest. Singers and preachers performed. Martin Luther King Jr gave his “I Have A Dream” speech. -
Civil Rights Act (1964)
In Washington D.C, LBJ and MLK helped pass an act that enabled the federal government to prevent racial discrimination and segregation based on race, color, religion, or origin in private businesses or public facilities. -
The Assassination of Malcom X
Malcom Little was a civil rights leader who was part of the Nation of Islam. He wanted black people to believe in themselves and start their own businesses. In the Audubon Ballroom in NY, he was shot 21 times. Thomas Hagan was convicted. -
Selma Montgomery Marches (Bloody Sunday)
Black marchers set out to walk 54 miles to Montgomery, Alabama to register to vote. In Selma, at the Edmond bridge, troopers brutally beat them. The second time they crossed the bridge, MLK was with them, and they were able to pass. -
Voting Rights Act (1965)
LBJ gave blacks the right to vote. He enabled them to vote without any discrimination. It was now a federal matter, not a state matter. -
Assassination of MLK
On April 4, 1968, Striking Sanitation workers protested in Memphis, Tennessee. They went back to the motel. King was standing on the second floor where he was shot on the lower right side of his face with a Remington Rifle. James Earl Ray sentenced to 99 years for the death. However, some people believe he didn’t actually commit the murder. King’s death marks the end of the civil rights movement.