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Brown v Board of Education
This case ruled that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. This made a huge impact for the civil rights movement. The Brown vs Board of Education helped establish that the “separate-but-equal” was in fact not equal. -
The Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was brutally murdered for allegedly flirting with a white woman. One day Emmett was bragging about his new white girlfriend to his friends. His friends dared him to go flirt with a white women. Later the women's husband and brother made Emmett carry a 75-pound cotton gin fan to Tallahatchie River. The two men beat him nearly to death and threw his body into the river, which was recovered three days later. -
Montgomery Bus Boycotts
This was a civil rights protest when African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama. They protested about the segregated seating on the buses. Rosa Parks was apart of the boycott. She was arrested and fined for not giving her seat up to a white man. Martin Luther King, Jr. also was a prominent leader of the American civil rights movement. -
Little Rock Nine
This is when a group of nine black students enrolled in a formerly all-white high school at Little Rock, Arkansas. This event was test of Brown v. Board of Education case. One the students first day of classes at Central High, the governor called the Arkansas National Guard. He did this to block the black students from entering into the high school. -
Freedom Riders
This was a group of white and African American civil rights activists who participated in the segregated bus terminals in the south. The group would arrest police officer along their routes. They would also draw international attention to the civil rights movement. -
Equal Pay Act
This act was a labor law that prohibits gender-based wage discrimination. President Kennedy signed this act as an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act. The law mandates equal pay for equal work and forbid employers for giving men and women different wages or benefits. -
March on Washington
This was a massive protest with about 250,000 people. They gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. This march was for jobs and freedom. The March on Washington aimed to draw attention to continuing challenges and inequalities -
Birmingham Church Bombing
Before a Sunday morning service at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, a bomb exploded. This church was a predominantly Black congregation and it also served as a meeting place for civil rights leaders. The casualties were four young girls killed and many injured. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is considered to be one of the crowning legislative achievements of the civil rights movement. The act was first proposed by President Kennedy and then signed by his successor Lyndon Johnson. -
March of Selma
This was a march to Montgomery, Alabama. This march was apart of a series of civil right protests in Alabama. This southern state was deeply entrenched racist policies. The March of Selma raised awareness of the difficulties faced by Black voters and the need for a national Voting Rights Act. -
The Founding of NOW (National Organization for Women)
Betty Friedan founded this organization. She was inspired by the March of Selma and decided to fund a parallel effort to ensure the equal treatment of both sexes. Betty Friedan organized a group of activists who wanted to end sex discrimination. -
Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination
Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Martin Luther King Jr. was in Tennessee to give a speech supporting a sanitation workers’ strike. He was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. -
Fair Housing Act
This prohibited discrimination with renting, sales, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin or sex. This was considered to be a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Fair Hosing Act was a contentious debate in the Senate. Then the House quickly passed the act days after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. -
Stone Wall Riots
This event is also called the Stonewall Uprising. The riots started when a New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn. After this the riots sparked among bar patrons and neighborhood residents. -
Title IX
This is also called Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act. The act stated stated that no person in the United States shall be excluded from participation in discrimination under any education program or Federal financial assistance. This act excluded sex discriminations in many ways.