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Brown vs. Board of Education
The Brown vs. the Board of Education case was the first event in acquiring the rights for black people. It started when Linda Brown sued the Board of Education for making her go to a black school across town instead of a white one across the street. The case got national attention and a verdict was soon reached by unanimous decision. All below high school level schools in Kansas would be integrated. This was the first win for civil rights in America. -
Montgomery bus boycott
The Montgomery bus boycott was one of the most pivotal and recognizable moments of the civil rights era. It started when Rosa Parks was arrested after refusing to give up her seat on the bus for a white passenger. This lead to outrage in the black community, leading to the decision that the bus system should be punished in some way. This lead to the decision, spearheaded by Martin Luther King Jr., to boycott the buses by not taking them. This lead to the bus systems getting less money than usual -
Montgomery cont.
And because they were receiving less money, something had to be done about it. So President Eisenhower wrote into law that segregation was illegal on public transportation. This was a big win for civil rights, and it labeled Rosa Parks as a hero. -
Desegregation at Little Rock
After the bus boycott, the NAACP was founded by MLK. The national association for the advancement of colored people was created to fight for civil rights. In 1957, this group hired 9 black teenagers (later dubbed "The Little Rock 9") to attempt to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. This desegregation attempt was actually supported by the president, as he sent federal troops to assist in the integration. This, however, lead to the school being shut down instead of integrating -
Sit-in Campaign
The "Sit-in" was a form of peaceful protest that was popular during the civil rights era. It was inspired by four black people, who refused to leave their chairs at a restaurant because they were being refused service based on their skin color. This form of protest was still punishable by law, however, as you can be arrested for partaking in it if you were black. -
Freedom Rides
The Freedom Riders were a branch of the NAACP who were in charge of reinforcing public transportation integration laws. They did this by taking buses from one place to another, and that was their job. They were mostly comprised of black people, however, so they were often beaten and stoned for no reason. They stopped when they were arrested for being in a white only washroom. Irony, anyone? -
Mississippi Riots
James Meredith, a black army veteran, attempted to enroll in Jackson State University, a college that has been segregated since it's inception, and was unhappy when they didn't let him enroll because of his skin. So he talked to the President, and he sent 500 U.S. Marshals to help him enroll. Riots ensued because of it, leaving two dead, but allowing Meredith to enroll in the university. -
March on Washington
People from the NAACP set up a rally in Washington D.C. to fight for civil rights. So, on August 28, 1963, over 200,000 people walked in front of the Lincoln Memorial to fight for civil rights. This march had entertainment and speeches, including Ella Fitzgerald and MLK's "I have a dream" speech respectively. It lead to the eventual signing of the civil rights act, which is the next point in the timeline. -
Civil Rights Act
On July 2, 1964, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights act, making discrimination illegal in public places and concerning jobs. It did not, however, address the growing issue for southern blacks and their difficulty for voting. This would become the inspiration for the Selma March. -
Selma
This march in early 1965 from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama was orchestrated by MLK and his church association to raise awareness for the growing struggle for southern blacks trying to vote. This peaceful march was successful in inspiring the creation of the Voting Rights act, signed later that year. -
Bibliography
Sources: nps.gov, history.com, Sanford.edu, the wiki
