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Brown V. Board of Education
This took place in Kansas. The NAACP takes the 5 cases to the Supreme Court. Later on, the court ended up ruling a 9-0 to overturn the doctrine of separate or equal. However, most blacks still did not attend school for another 10 years. -
Murder of Emmett Till
A 14 year old boy was brutally murdered by Roy Bryant and others in Money, Mississippi. He was accused of whistling at a white women, Cardyn Bryant, who was Roy’s wife. He was kidnapped 3 days after the accusations. His eye were detached, his ear was cut off, and he had barb wire wrapped around his neck. Then was weighted down by a 75 pound cotton gin fan and thrown into the Tallahatchie River. -
Rosa Parks and the Bus Boycott
In Montgomery Alabama, Rosa parks was arrested and fined $10 for not wanting to move to the ‘colored seats’ on a bus. After this, MLK and churches sent out flyers to boycott the bus systems. People responded so on December 5th, the busses ran empty for 381 days. In conclusion, the Supreme Court ruled that busses had to let blacks ride. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
SCLC was a meeting of black church pastors to coordinate events for black people in Atlanta, Georgia. This group used a nonviolent strategy, they registered blacks to vote, apposed Vietnam war and provided better jobs for blacks. MLK was elected the first president for this conference. -
Little Rock 9
In Little Rock, Arkansas, a group of 9 students wanted to go to a white school. The governor of Arkansas did not like this so he called out the National Guard to stop them. However, President Eisenhower calls in 1,200 military men to escort the students from home and to class. Later on, in 1959, all schools were fully integrated. -
Greensboro Sit ins
4 college students in Greensboro, North Carolina, go to Woolworths and buy items. Then later they sit at the lunch counter where only whites could sit. They were refused to get service and got asked to leave. The students came back and did this all over again for days. The amount of students doing this protest grew over the days to 1,000 students. -
Freedom Riders
436 individuals in 60 separate Freedom Rides start in Washington DC and they go to the Deep South to desegregate bus stations, dinners and hotels. The volunteers were from 39 states and most were college students. They arrived in charlotte, North Carolina but were blocked by the KKK. The group suffered beatings, bombs were thrown in the bus, and the tires on the bus tires were slashed. -
March on Washington
In Washington DC, 250,000 people marched for jobs and freedom. It was a peaceful and respectful gathering, named one of the largest gatherings in the U.S history. MLK was the last speaker of the day were he gave his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. -
Civil Rights Act (1964)
The Act enabled Federal Government to prevent racial discrimination and segregation based on race, color, religion or national origin in private business or public facilities. It was a big Act for everyone. The Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, while Martin Luther King Jr. was president. -
Assassination of Malcom X
Malcom Little, a civil rights leader who was part of the Nation of Islam, was shot 21 times in Audubon Ballroom, New York. He wanted black people to believe in themselves and that they could start their own businesses. The person convicted for the muerde of Malcom X was Thomas Hagan. He was also part of the Nation of Islam. -
Selma to Montgomery Marches (Bloody Sunday)
A march of 600 people, led by John Lewis, marched in Selma, Alabama. Black marches wanted to walk 54 miles to Montgomery to register for voting. But, they were brutally stopped and beaten at the Edmund Pettus Bridge by troopers who were sent by president Lyndon B. Johnson. -
Voting Rights Act (1965)
President Lyndon B Johnson sent a voting rights to Congress. Enabling the right to vote for African Americans and discrimination in voting. It was now a federal matter, not state. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King
MLK was striking sanitation workers protest in Memphis. Later on he made his way to the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, were he was shot in the lower side of his face with a Remington Rifle. His death marked the end of the Civil Rights Movement. The person found guilty was James Earl Ray and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.