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Start of Death Penalty/ Capital Punishment
Massachusets colony creates a list of crimes that are punishible by death. The Americans borrowed the idea from England. -
Plessy Vs. Ferguson
7 year old Linda brown has to walk to the bus top cross railroad tracks in bad, unsafe conditions. The nicer school was in their neighborhood but it was an all-white school and she couldn't attend. The NAACP takes it to state Supreme Court. The Supreme Court rules that racial segragation, as long as it is seperate but equal, is okay. -
Desegragation of the military
Black had fought in many wars but after World War 2 but blacks were still treated unfairly after coming back from war. President Truman issues the executive order to desgregate the military. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
Brown vs. Board of Education court ruling in Topika, KA rules that segregation in school are unconsitutional. -
The Freedom Rides.
A group called CORE (congress on racial equality) a mixed race student protest orgainzation take bus trips down South to protest transportation segregation. They get brutally attacked by white supremist mostly in Alabama and Mississippi. -
James Meredith
James Meredith becomes the first black student enrolled at University of Mississippi. President Kennedy had to send in 5000 troops to control the white supremcy riots. -
Civil Rights Act
President Johnson signs the Civl Rights Act. The Act says that there will no longer be any type of discrimination based off race, color, relegion and origin. -
Furman Vs. Georgia
Furman vs. Georgia was the court case that said the death penalty was cruel and it was unusal punishment. The ruling of this case overturned all existing death penalty laws. -
Gregg vs. Georgia
Troy Gregg robbed and killed two men after he hitched a ride from them. He claimed it was self- defense. When the court ruled it as death penalty, he tried to say it was a violation of the 8th admentment. Gregg vs. Georgia rulled that the death penalty does not violate the 8th admendment. -
Lethal injection
Oklahoma becomes the first state to start lethal injection. Letal injection is where they inject you with a high dose of drugs or poison and kill you. -
Crime Bill Signing
Bill Clinton signs the Crime Bill which makes more crimes subject to death penalty. Crimes like terrorism, murder of a federal law enforcement officer, drug trafficking, civil rights-related murders, drive-by shootings resulting in death, the use of weapons of mass destruction resulting in death, and car robbing resulting in death.
