-
The Supreme Court Decision of Plessy v. Ferguson
The Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson was significant because it upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine, essentially legalizing Jim Crow laws across the United States and enabling widespread discriminatory practices against African Americans for decades until it was overturned by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954; effectively solidifying racial segregation as legal policy in the South after the Reconstruction era. -
The Tuskegee Airmen
The brave fliers had proved themselves in combat, and their performance helped pave the way for desegregation of the military in 1948. Today the National Park Service's Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Alabama, helps tell their story, and preserves their memory for all time. -
The Integration of Major League Baseball
The integration of Major League Baseball, primarily symbolized by Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in 1947, was a significant moment in American history because it represented a major step forward in the Civil Rights movement, demonstrating that even deeply ingrained societal norms like racial segregation could be challenged and broken through the power of sports, particularly in a widely beloved American pastime like baseball. -
The Integration of the Armed Forces
Executive Order 9981 was a pivotal moment in American integration because it mandated the desegregation of the U.S. military, marking one of the first major federal actions against racial discrimination, thereby setting a precedent and paving the way for broader civil rights movements across society; it essentially signaled a commitment to racial equality within a powerful institution, influencing other areas of American life to follow suit. -
The Supreme Court Decision of Sweatt v. Painter
In the Supreme Court case of "Sweatt v. Painter" (1950), the court ruled unanimously that Heman Sweatt, an African American man, must be admitted to the University of Texas Law School, effectively desegregating graduate school coursework in Texas by declaring that the "separate but equal" facilities provided for Black students were not substantially equal to those offered to white students, violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. -
The Supreme Court Decision of Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court decision in "Brown v. Board of Education" became a landmark case by effectively overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine established in "Plessy v. Ferguson" by ruling that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, marking a significant step towards desegregation and a major victory for the Civil Rights Movement. -
The Death of Emmitt Till
The death of Emmett Till brought international attention to the Civil Rights Movement in America because his brutal murder, coupled with the subsequent trial where his killers were acquitted by an all-white jury, sparked widespread outrage and galvanized African Americans across the nation, leading to increased activism and public awareness of the horrific realities of racial violence in the South, propelling the movement forward on a larger scale. -
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Called "the mother of the civil rights movement," Rosa Parks invigorated the struggle for racial equality when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. Parks' arrest on December 1, 1955 launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott by 17,000 black citizens. -
The Integration of Little Rock High School
The integration of Little Rock High School, also known as the "Little Rock Nine" incident, was a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement because it dramatically highlighted the resistance to school desegregation in the South, forcing the federal government to intervene with military force to uphold a Supreme Court ruling and protect African American students attempting to attend a previously all-white school. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1957
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was a significant piece of legislation for the civil rights movement because it marked the first federal legislation aimed at protecting civil rights since Reconstruction, establishing a dedicated Civil Rights Commission to investigate discriminatory practices, and giving the Justice Department the power to prosecute cases involving voter suppression, particularly targeting efforts to disenfranchise African American voters in the South. -
The Greensboro Four Lunch Counter Sit-In
It was a small victory—and one that would build. The Greensboro Four's efforts inspired a sit-in movement that eventually spread to 55 cities in 13 states. Not only were lunch counters across the country integrated one by one, a student movement was galvanized. -
The Freedom Rides by Freedom Riders of 1961
Through their defiance, the Freedom Riders attracted the attention of the Kennedy Administration and as a direct result of their work, the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) issued regulations banning segregation in interstate travel that fall. -
The Twenty-Fourth Amendment
The Twenty-Fourth Amendment was a crucial piece of legislation because it effectively abolished poll taxes as a requirement to vote in federal elections, directly addressing a discriminatory practice used in the South to disenfranchise African American voters, particularly low-income individuals, by preventing them from casting ballots due to the financial barrier of paying a poll tax; this was considered key step towards expanding voting rights during the Civil Rights Movement. -
The Integration of the University of Mississippi
The integration of the University of Mississippi, marked by James Meredith becoming the first African American student to enroll in 1962, was a pivotal moment in American history because it represented a major turning point in the Civil Rights Movement, demonstrating the power of federal intervention to enforce desegregation in the face of extreme resistance, particularly in the deeply segregated South, and paving the way for greater racial equality in higher education across the country. -
The Integration of the University of Alabama
That day changed Alabama and the nation, marking the beginning of school desegregation in the state and moving forward a comprehensive federal civil rights act. -
The March on Washington & "I Have a Dream" Speech by MLK
The March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech are considered a pivotal moment in American history because it brought a massive, nonviolent demonstration to the nation's capital, powerfully advocating for civil rights for African Americans and significantly influencing the passage of landmark legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, marking a major turning point in the fight for racial equality. -
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas
The assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, is considered a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement because it propelled President Lyndon B. Johnson to aggressively push for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, effectively accelerating the movement's momentum by framing the legislation as a way to honor Kennedy's legacy, even though he had been somewhat hesitant on certain aspects of civil rights policy during his presidency. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 signed by President Johnson
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, was a landmark piece of legislation that significantly advanced the Civil Rights Movement by outlawing discrimination in public accommodations, employment, and education, effectively dismantling many Jim Crow laws and marking a major step towards racial equality in the United States. -
The Assassination of Malcolm X
His martyrdom, ideas, and speeches contributed to the development of Black nationalist ideology and the Black Power movement and helped to popularize the values of autonomy and independence among African Americans in the 1960's and 70's. -
The Selma to Montgomery March: "Bloody Sunday"
The Selma to Montgomery March, particularly the "Bloody Sunday" event, significantly impacted the Civil Rights Movement because the brutal televised attack on peaceful protesters by Alabama state troopers drew widespread national attention to the ongoing struggle for African American voting rights, ultimately galvanizing public support and leading to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting. It is perhaps the country's most important voting rights law, with a history that dates to the Civil War. -
The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee
At 6:05 P.M. on Thursday, 4 April 1968, Martin Luther King was shot dead while standing on a balcony outside his second-floor room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. News of King's assassination prompted major outbreaks of racial violence, resulting in more than 40 deaths nationwide and extensive property... -
The Voting Rights Act of 1968
The Voting Rights Act of 1968 was important because it significantly expanded the protections of the original Voting Rights Act of 1965, particularly by addressing discriminatory practices used to prevent minority groups, especially African Americans, from registering to vote and participating in elections, particularly in the southern states, by prohibiting practices like literacy tests and poll taxes, effectively guaranteeing their right to vote without facing discriminatory barriers.