-
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a landmark 1954 Supreme Court case which ruled that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. -
Period: to
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a civil-rights protest in which African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama, to protest segregated seating. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ordered Montgomery to integrate its bus system. -
Little Rock Nine
A group of nine African American high school students who attended a once all white school. Their attendance at Little Rock High School was a test to see the Brown v. Board of Education in action. But their actions were a major debate, and the governor of Arkansa sent troops to stop them. It wasn't until Eisenhower sent troops to defend them. -
Period: to
Election of John F. Kennedy
Kennedy defined the civil rights crisis as moral, as well as constitutional and legal. He announced that major civil rights legislation would be submitted to the Congress to guarantee equal access to public facilities, to end segregation in education, and to provide federal protection of the right to vote. -
Period: to
Freedom Riders
Freedom Riders were groups of civil rights activists who participated in Freedom Rides, or bus trips through the American South in 1961 to protest segregated bus terminals. The groups were confronted by arresting police officers—as well as horrific violence from white protestors—along their routes, but also drew international attention to their cause. -
March on Washington
Civil rights leaders held a march at the Washington Monument with over 200,000 participants. They were protesting the right to freedom and job opportunity. They were successful in pressuring the government to pass a civil rights bill. The march was where Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous "I had a Dream" speak was held. -
Freedom Summer
CORE and SNCC organized a voter's drive to increase African voter registration. African American Mississippi volunteers along with over a thousand predominantly white volunteers helped. The KKK and the police executed a number of attacks to stop the actions, and even killed at least three African Americans. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
It was a law signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson executing the right for African American's to vote. This act eliminated the taxes and tests once required. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
Malcolm X was a civil rights activist who sent out the message of black empowerment. He was the leader of the Nation of Islam which advocated black nationalism. He unlike many other activists at the time, believed in taken actions to accomplish something with "any means necessary". He differed from MLK because he supported violence. He was later assassinated by his own people for his advancement in position. -
The first African American Supreme Court Justice
Thurgood Marshall serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from October 1967 until October 1991. Marshall was the Court's 96th justice and its first African-American justice. -
The Fair Housing Act
The Fair Housing Act was a federal act that outlawed the refusal to sell or rent a dwelling to any person because of race, color, religion, sex, or nationality. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. MLK was one of the head public figures for the civil rights movement. He supported a more nonviolent approach in achieving civil equality. He was elected president of SCLC. He focused on issues such as economic justice and voting rights. His assassination shook the whole country and is still remembered to this day. -
Black arts movement
An African-American led movement where members took pride in their race through the use of art and literature. -
Dr. Clifton Wharton Jr. is appointed President of Michigan State University.
Dr. Wharton is the first African-American to head a predominately white university in the 20th Century. -
Congressional black congress
The congressional black congress focuses on the issues of African American influence and was established in Washington D.C. b a head of 21 members -
African American Woman Runs for Presidency
Representative Shirley Chisholm of New York became a national symbol of both movements as the first major party African–American candidate and the first female candidate for president of the United States. Chisholm became the first black woman in Congress in 1968. Though she failed to win a primary, Chisholm received more than 150 votes at the Democratic National Convention. She claimed she never expected to win the nomination. -
Oprah Winfrey aired her own talk show
The Oprah Winfrey show spoke of controversial topics, reaching a wide range of listeners across America, leading her to be one of the wealthiest people on the planet as an African American woman. -
First African American Secretary of State
As chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993—the first African American to hold that position—the Vietnam veteran and four–star U.S. Army general Colin Powell played an integral role in planning and executing the first Persian Gulf War under President George H.W. Bush. In 2001, George W. Bush appointed Powell as secretary of state, making him the first African American to serve as America’s top diplomat. -
First African-American becomes President of the United States.
Barack Obama wins the Presidential election as a member of the Democratic party. -
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter (BLM) is an international activist movement, originating in the African-American community, that campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people.
