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Decision of Plessy V. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was important because it essentially established the constitutionality of racial segregation. -
The Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American soldiers to successfully complete their training and enter the Army Air Corps . Almost 1000 aviators were produced as America's first African American military pilots. -
The Integration of Major League Baseball
With the game's first pitch, Jackie Robinson became the first black man to play in the modern major leagues, breaking the color barrier that had surrounded baseball for over a half century and symbolizing the racial integration of American society. -
The Integration of the Armed Forces
Creating the President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services. The order mandated the desegregation of the U.S. military. -
Decision of Sweatt v. Painter
The Sweatt decision helped pave the way for African-Americans' admission to formerly segregated colleges and universities across the nation, and led to the overturn of segregation by law in all levels of public education in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education four years later. -
Decision of Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court's ruling in Brown overruled Plessy v. Ferguson by holding that the "separate but equal" doctrine was unconstitutional for American educational facilities and public schools. -
The Death of Emmitt Till
The newspaper coverage and murder trial galvanized 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
Rosa Parks invigorated the struggle for racial equality when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. -
Integration of Little Rock High School
It marked the formal beginning of the end of segregation. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
Established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. -
The Greensboro Four Lunch Counter Sit-In
On February 1, 1960, four friends sat down at a lunch counter in Greensboro. That may not sound like a legendary moment, but it was. The four people were African American, and they sat where African Americans weren't allowed to sit. They did this to take a stand against segregation. -
The Freedom Rides by Freedom Riders of 1961
Through their defiance, the Freedom Riders attracted the attention of the Kennedy Administration and as a direct result of their work, the Interstate Commerce Commission issued regulations banning segregation in interstate travel that fall. -
The 24th Amendment
It abolished and forbids the federal and state governments from imposing taxes on voters during federal elections. -
The Integration of the University Of Mississippi
With his admission to the University of Mississippi in 1962, James Meredith became one of the heroic figures in the American Civil Rights Movement, succeeding against every legal, political and bureaucratic obstacle that blocked his path to becoming the university's first African-American student. -
The Integration of the University of Alabama
The successful integration of The University of Alabama that began on June 11, 1963, opened doors not only to two Black students, but for decades of progress toward becoming an inclusive campus. -
The March on Washington & I Have a Dream Speech
The march was successful in pressuring the administration of John F. Kennedy to initiate a strong federal civil rights bill in Congress. During this event, Martin Luther King delivered his memorable “I Have a Dream” speech. -
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Addressing a joint session of Congress just after Kennedy's death, Johnson urged members of Congress to honor Kennedy's memory by passing a civil rights bill to end racial discrimination and segregation in public accommodations, public education, and federally assisted programs. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Act prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and federally funded programs. It also strengthened the enforcement of voting rights and the desegregation of schools. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the nation's benchmark civil rights legislation, and it continues to resonate in America. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
He argued for black power, black self-defense and black economic autonomy, and encouraged racial pride. He saw Christianity as a religion for the white man, fine-tuned to perpetuate subjugation of the black race. -
The Selma to Montgomery March
These marches were organized to protest the blocking of Black Americans' right to vote by the systematic racist structure of the Jim Crow South. -
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
When Congress enacted the Voting Rights Act of 1965, it determined that racial discrimination in voting had been more prevalent in certain areas of the country. Section 4(a) of the Act established a formula to identify those areas and to provide for more stringent remedies where appropriate. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Responses to King's death varied. Black Americans were devastated, pained, and angered. Violence erupted in more than 125 American cities across 29 states. Nearly 50,000 federal troops occupied America's urban areas. -
The Voting Rights Act of 1968
The 1968 Act expanded on previous acts and prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, sex, (and as amended) handicap and family status.