-
Brown v. Board of Education
On May 17, 1954, Brown v. Board of Education took place in Topeka, Kansas. It started when Oliver Brown wanted to take his daughter Linda Brown to an all white school. However they weren’t allowed to go and they had to travel 2 hours each way for her to go to school. The NAACP combined 5 cases from different states into one case for the Supreme Court. The court decided 9-0 that the separate but equal was wrong. -
Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was 14 years old when he was killed. He had gone down to Mississippi in August of 1955 to stay with his cousin. He was accused of whistling at Carolyn Bryant. 3 days later, Roy Bryant, the husband of Carolyn, and his stepbrother JW Milam kidnapped Emmett from his uncle’s home in the middle of the night. Emmett was found a few days later in a river. Roy and JW were found not guilty and they later admitted to killing Emmett. -
Rosa Parks
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for not moving from her seat to let a white man sit on a bus. She was fined $10 and spent a night in jail. This took place in Montgomery, Alabama. After this happened, Martin Luther King Jr. and the church he went to sent out flyers to boycott the bus system. This went on for 381 days. It then went to the Supreme Court and they ruled that the buses had to desegregate. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
On January 10-11, 1957, MLK and 60 pastors gathered in Atlanta, Georgia. The SCLC was a meeting of black church pastors to coordinate events for black people. MLK was elected the first president of the group. This group registered blacks to vote, opposed the Vietnam War, and provided better jobs for blacks. -
Little Rock 9
In Little Rock, Arkansas, 9 black students became the first to attend an all white school. Their first day was on September 4, 1957. The Governor of Arkansas was opposed to them going so he called out the National Guard to stop them. However, when President Eisenhower heard about this, he sent 1,200 military men to escort the students to class. By 1959, all schools were fully integrated. -
Greensboro Sit ins
On February 1,1960, four college students in Greensboro, North Carolina went into a Woolworth’s. They bought some items and went to sit at the lunch counter but were refused service. They were told to move, but they stayed where they were. They continued to come back and eventually the number of students grew to 6,000. -
Freedom Riders
The freedom rides started on May 1, 1961. There were 60 separate rides that involved 436 individuals. It started in Washington D.C. and went to the deep south. The diverse group came from 39 states and most of the riders were college students. The goal was to desegregate bus stations, diners and hotels. -
March on Washington
On August 28, 1963, 250,000 people marched in Washington D.C. It was a peaceful and respectful protest for jobs and freedom. This is where MLK gave his “I have a dream” speech. -
Civil Rights Act
On July 2, 1964, Lyndon B Johnson created the Civil Rights Act. It took place in Washington D.C. The Act was enabled by the federal government. It as created to prevent racial discrimination and segregation based on race, color or national origin in private and public facilities. -
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. On February 21, 1965, when Malcom was 39 years old, he was assassinated in the Audubon Ballroom in New York. He was shot 21 times. Thomas Hagan was convicted of the killing. -
Selma to Montgomery Marches (Bloody Sunday)
On March 7, 1965, 600 marchers marched from Selma, Alabama. They walked 54 miles to Montgomery to register to vote. At the Edmund Bridge troopers brutally beat them. -
Voting Rights Act
On August 6, 1965, LBJ passed the Voting Rights Act. It was passed in Washington D.C. The Act enabled the right to vote for African Americans without any discrimination. -
Assassaination of Martin Luther King
On April 4, 1968, MLK was staying at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was there to help striking sanitation workers. He was leaning over the railing of the balcony when he was shot. He was shot with a Remmington Rifle in the lower right side of his face. James Earl Ray was admitted to killing him and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. MLK’s death marked the end of the Civil Rights Movement.