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Plessy v. Ferguson
The court ruled in favor of a Louisiana law requiring segregated railroad cars. The court said a law could require "separate" facilities, as long as they were "equal". -
Founding of NAACP
Du Bois urged blacks to fight discrimination rather than patiently submit to it. Blacks and whites in the NAACP worked for equal rights for African Americans. -
Jackie Robinson Integrates Baseball
Jackie Robinson was the first African American to be signed into baseball. He paved the way for other African American athletes to compete in professional sports. -
The Military Integrates
Truman ordered the integration of all units of the armed forces. African American and white soldiers fought side by side in the Korean War. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Oliver Brown went to Supreme Court for his daughter to go to a better school; an "all-white" school. -
Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till, a 14 year old boy, was murdered for flirting with a white girl. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks, an African American, refused to give up her seat to a white rider and was arrested. In response, African Americans boycotted the city's buses -
Little Rock Nine
Arkansas governor Faubus called the state's national guard to keep nine African American students out of the school. President Eisenhower sent federal troops to protect the students and have them enter the school. -
Greensboro Sit-in
Four African Americans sat at a "whites only" lunch counter and refused to leave unless they were served. -
Freedom Rides
Thirteen freedom riders successfully integrated several bus stations before being violently attacked in Alabama. -
Birmingham Children's March
Thousands of African Americans- including many children-marched peacefully through Birmingham. Police used dogs, fire hoses, and electric cattle prods against the marchers. -
March on Washington
Civil rights leaders proposed a March on the nation's capital. The sight of nearly 250,000 peacefully assembled citizens stirred many Americans to support civil rights. Many leaders gave speeches. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Congress passed the Act, banning discrimination in public facilities and outlawed discrimination in employment. It also provided for faster school desegregation and further protected voting rights. -
Malcolm X Assassination
Three black muslims were convicted of shooting and killing Malcolm X while he was addressing his Organization of African-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights. -
Selma March
Hundreds of marchers set out from the city of Selma to Montgomery. State troopers set upon the marchers with tear gas, clubs, and whips. This was a protest to draw attention to the issue of voting rights. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act banned literacy tests and other barriers to African American voting. It also permitted federal officials to register voters directly in states that practiced discrimination.
