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Plessy V Ferguson
In 1892, an African American man named Homer Plessy refused to sit in a blacks only car. He felt that making him sit with the black people only was a constitutional violation. The supreme court felt that a state law that only implies a separation between the two races is not a violation of constitutional rights. A similar case, Brown V. Board of education once again fought for a very similar goal succeeded and the court felt there was a constitutional violation. -
Formation of the NAACP
The NAACP is the national association for the advancement of colored people. It was formed in 1909 and it was formed in New York City. The NAACP has worked to achieve its goals through the judicial system, peaceful protests, and lobbying. They also protested against the famous KKK movie, the Birth of a Nation. -
Congress of Racial Equality
The Congress of Racial Equality also known as CORE, was one of the leading activist organization of the Civil Rights movement. At first they started as a pacifist type of group, but after a while they shifted more towards nationalism and seperatism for African Americans. It was founded in 1942 but it was most active during the early 60's. One of the founding members of CORE was James Farmer, who organized the freedom rides as well. -
Desegregation of the military
In 1948, President Harry Truman abolished segregation of the military, meaning that their could be no more racial discrimination in the military. -
Malcolm X leading Islam
Malcolm X dropped out of school after 8th grade and headed for a life of crime. He was known as "Detroit Red" and was arrested and put in jail for burglary. In jail he found the teachings of Elijah Muhamed, the leader of the lost-found nation of islam. After being released from prison, he led the No. 7 temple in Harlem. He was becoming wildly well known among his people and realized after going to Mecca that all races should be viewed equal, and black people had to free themselves. -
Brown v Board of education
Brown V. Board of education was a case in which the judges unanimously voted that the public segregation of schools were unconstitutional. Brown said that the separation of schools was violating the 14th amendment which stated that there was equal protection of all people. -
Emmett Till
Emmet TIll was a 14 year old black boy who was murdered for supposedly flirting with a white woman. He was murdered 4 days after the incident. Emmett was murdered in an extremely brutal fashion, he was forced to carry an extremely heavy cotton gin fan to the river, forced to take off his clothes, beaten, had his eye gouged out, and then was shot in the head, tied to the gin with barbed wire, and sent down the river. -
Montgomery Bus boycott
The Montgomery bus boycott was a protest done by African Americans in which they refused to ride the bus because of the injustices being done on them. The incident that led to this was when Rosa Parks was seated in the front row of the "colored" section of the bus. She was asked to move when the white seats filled, but refused and was arrested and fined for this offense. -
Little Rock 9
The little rock 9 were a group of 9 black students. They were enrolled at a formerly all white school. The Governor of little Rock did not want them to go tot he school so he called in the national guard so that they would block the school. Later, President Eisenhower sent in federal troops that would escort the kids into school. -
southern christian leadership conference
The SCLC was founded with the help of Martin Luther King Jr. It was meant to help coordinate civil rights movements in the South during the 60s. The SCLC was formed in 1957, and one of the major things they did was helped MLK spread his thoughts on Vietnam and what he thought of the war. -
Sit-Ins Strategy
One of the first sit ins was in Greensboro. Black people were denied service at a restaurant, so when they were asked to leave, they held their ground and sat at the restaurant. The sit in was formed by four black men: Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Joseph Mcneil. This movement led to sit ins across the country and an effective way of peaceful protesting. -
Freedom Riders
Freedom riders were white and black civil rights activists who would ride buses in the whites only sections and do other things to protest. They would also try and use "white only" bathrooms and drinking fountains. They were often arrested and also faced with horrible violence from the whites who would protest their group. James Farmer, one of the founders of CORE helped organize freedom rides. -
I have a dream
Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his most famous speech in front of a crowd of 250,000 people. Halfway through his speech, Mahalia Jackson told him to "tell 'em about the dream." It is not known whether he consciously heard her, but he began to tell about the dream. He was repeating the words "I have a dream" and listing off how he hopes that in the future, his children would live in a world where they were not judged, by their skin, but the content of their character. -
Civil rights act of 1964
The civil rights act of 1964 finally repealed segregation. No longer could people legally be denied entry into a public place because of their skin color or ethnicity. The civil rights act also did not allow any federal funding to discriminating acts. Lyndon B. Johnson put this act into action (originally made by JFK). -
Freedom Summer
The Freedom summer was a 1964 voter registration that was meant to increase black voter registration in Mississippi. The KKK and the police worked hard to stop this movement and used violence. People were even murdered during this movement. Two white students and a black person named James Chaney disappeared and their bodies were found 6 weeks later, very badly beaten. -
Student non violent coordinating committee
the SNCC was a civil rights group that was intended to work and appeal to the youth blacks. They ended up becoming one of the civil rights movements more extreme branches. It was formed by Ella Baker, who thought that the SCLC was not appealing to the younger black people, so she decided to form a new group that would. The group participated in many freedom rides and other protests. -
Watts Race Riots
Watts was a primarily black neighborhood in Los Angeles. The tension between the whites and blacks broke after an incident between two white officers and a black man suspected of drunk driving. People began to riot shortly after. They were spread over 50 square miles of the area. This 5 day riot killed injured over a thousand, and over 4000 were arrested. Some believe that this riot foreshadowed other riots, like the Detroit ones that ultimately were the downfall of the city. -
Voting rights 1965
President Lyndon B. Johnson wanted to overcome barriers in the country. The voting rights act of 1965 got rid of literacy tests, and other terrible things to make voting for black people as easy as possible for them so that they could exercise their rights the same as white people could. -
Martin Luther King assasination
MLK was assassinated in Tennessee. His assassination was very moving and affected people all over the country. King was only 39 when he was assassinated. He was standing on his balcony at the motel he was staying at and he was shot in the neck. He was pronounced dead an hour later. -
Boston Busing
During the Civil Rights movement, there were many problems with busing. Often, buses with black kids were pelted with eggs. The buses were often protected by police in combat uniforms getting ready for action. One example of someone being attacked during the desegregation of schools was Theodore Landsmark being attacked and bloodied by a group of kids, one with an american flag. -
Rodney King Trial
Rodney King was arrested in 1991. However, four police officers were put on trial for the excessive force they used in arresting King. The court ruled in favor of the officers, and the black community was enraged, which led to the LA riots. The riots went on for 3 days and the city suffered many damages. The police were unwilling to enforce the law in some areas of the city.
