-
Plessy v Ferguson
Homer Plessy, a light-skinned from Louisiana, was arrested in Louisiana for violating the Separate Car Act after refusing to leave a whites-only car. Plessy took his case to the Supreme Court, arguing that the law was in violation of his civil rights. Plessy v Ferguson established and reinforced segregation between whites and black in America. -
Period: to
Brown v Board of Education
A white elementary school denied Oliver Brown’s daughter, Linda Brown, admission. Brown took the Topeka Board of Education to court, arguing that Linda was to be protected under the 14th amendment, something that segregation violated. Brown v Board of Education overturned Plessy v Ferguson, segregation was no longer legal in public schools. -
Emmett Till
Fourteen year old Emmett Till was visiting his relatives in Money, Mississippi when he was accused of touching and flirting with a white woman, Carolyn Bryant. This was a violation of Jim Crow Laws, and on August 28, 1955, he was lynched to death by Roy Bryant and John Milam. Till made an impact in the sense that he inspired the creation (or made stronger) of the Civil Rights Movement. -
Period: to
Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks, a black women, was sitting in the “colored section” of a bus on December 1st, 1955. Once the white section of the bus was full, Rosa was told to give up her seat for a white man, she refused to do so and was promptly arrested. Parks generated the Montgomery Bus Boycott, in which African Americans did not ride the buses. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was the first major protest for Civil Rights, another impact is that Martin Luther King Jr. rose as a prominent leader for the movement. -
Founding of Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and Martin Luther King
Founded in January 10, 1957 in Atlanta Georgia, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was established with the purpose of assisting in the fight for Civil Rights. The SCLC was in charge of coordinating non-violent protest in the South, similar to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This was important because the SCLC helped organize non-violent protest to help the Civil Rights Movement. -
Period: to
Little Rock Nine & Central High School
The governor of Arkansas did not follow through with the ruling of the Brown v Board of Education, as he would not allow 9 black students to attend a white school, Little Rock Central High School. On Sept.3, 1957 he mobilized National Guard to prevent them from going in, and President Eisenhower sent Federal troops to Little Rock to escort the students in. Little Rock Nine was important because it showed the Presidents support towards the Supreme Court ruling of Brown v Board of Education. -
Greensboro Sit-In
The Greensboro sit-in was a student led protest in the year 1960 at a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. The students sat in a part of the restaurant that was reserved for whites only, the lunch counter, and although the police showed up, they refused to give up their seats. The Greensboro sit-in would shortly lead to the creation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. -
Period: to
Freedom Ride/ Freedom Riders
Two buses, not segregated, departed from Washington D.C. and traveled to the South, with intentions of challenging the Boynton v Virginia ruling. People across the nation were riding busses and trains integrated with each race, and often faced hostility. The impact that the Freedom Rides had was that it challenged segregation in transportation facilities, and later it was prohibited. -
March on Washington
Led by Martin Luther King Jr., the March on Washington was held in August 1963 with the intention to stress the racial inequality in the U.S. and by doing so, pressuring the Kennedy administration to create a Civil Rights bill. MLK gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington, in hopes to unite the nation and lessen racism. The march helped pressure Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and it was one of the largest political marches in U.S. history. -
Period: to
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (1961) Freedom Summer
To encourage more African Americans to vote, the SNCC helped register voters in the summer of 1964. Three people, Goodman, Chaney, and Schwerner, were killed, which gained national attention, due to Schwerner being a white man. The Freedom Summer was important because they made an effort to increase black voter turn-out. -
Civil Rights Act 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 declared segregation illegal in public areas and worked to end discrimination. The Civil Rights Act was signed by President Lyndon Johnson, who fought for major Civil Rights reform. The Civil Right Act of 1964 was a gigantic turning point in the fight for Civil Rights, it worked towards ending the racist Jim Crow laws in the South. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
One of the faces of the Civil Rights movement, Malcolm X was assassinated by members of his previous religious group, the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X was shot in Washington Heights, New York City in New York. The U.S. lost one of its prominent Civil Rights leaders on February 21, 1965. -
Voting Rights Act 1965
African Americans often chose not to vote due to the restrictions that were aimed to prevent them from doing so, such as fees or literacy test. The Voting Rights Act of 1955 gave black people in America a voice without barriers. The Act is important because it gave African Americans a voice in politics, they were able to vote despite economic backgronds and level of education. -
Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King was assassinated by James Earl Ray, on April 4th 1968. This promptly lead to riots by his nonviolence followers, the nation mourned a civil rights leader. The death of Martin Luther King marked a change in the nation and how they perceived civil rights, but his death by no means ended the Civil Rights movement.
