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Brown v Board of Education
A Supreme Court case in which the justices ruled that segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. This allowed children in public schools to enjoy their education to a further extent. It took a while for this to get passed. -
Rosa Parks Arrest
Rosa Parks was arrested in December of 1955 for refusing to move to the back of the bus where black people were supposed to be. This sparked many other movements like the Montgomery Bus Boycott for example. This is a well-known point in history and will likely never be forgotten. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Political and social protests against the policy of segregation on the busses of Montgomery, Alabama. This boycott was inspired by the Rosa Park situation. This boycott opened the eyes of many. -
Little Rock 9
In September of 1957, 9 African American students arrived at Little Rock Central High School. They faced tons of backlash, and it got so bad to the point where the president even had to send troops to protect the students. The white students were not happy, and neither was Governor Orval Faubus, who called in the Arkansas National Guard to block the black students’ entry into the high school. -
Sit-Ins
Protests used to fight segregation. The name says it perfectly. Black protesters would collectively go to a place and sit. These protests were non-violent and silent. This type of protest angered people and often provoked heckling and violence from those who disagreed. -
Freedom Riders
Civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the South in order to challenge the non-enforcement of the United States Supreme Court decisions. This was very effective because it showed that the activists were not scared. This was another good way of protesting and getting the issue known as well as their point across. -
Birmingham Protests
African American students protested in Birmingham, Alabama to gain further attention in their actions. There were over a thousand of them. This was especially powerful because they had the voices of a thousand young people. -
March on Washington
A protest march was hosted in Washington, D.C. in order to advocate for jobs, freedom, and civil rights of African Americans. The large crowd brought lots of attention to the protest. Also, Washington D.C. is the capital of the US, so this is a prime spot to protest. -
JFK's Assassination
Assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, while riding in a convertible car. A truly tragic day in American history. Lee Harvey Oswald is said to have been responsible for committing the deed. -
Mississippi Summer
Also known as Freedom Summer, it was a campaign that had the goal of registering as many African-American voters as possible in Mississippi. As expected, this angered a lot of white folks. But in the end, it was a very pivotal moment in the movement. -
Civil Rights Act of July 2 1964
An act created to prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Basically advocating for equal rights. This made a lot of progress in Civil Rights. -
Selma Marches
The Selma to Montgomery marches were a series of protest marches that went 54 miles all the way from Selma Alabama to Montgomery. This is a long way to walk, and that is what was so powerful about this protest. The protest gathered lots of publicity because of this. -
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act banned literacy tests and other things of that nature that were used to deny African Americans their voting right. This was a huge step forward. Now, black people could have their voting rights no problem. -
MLK's Assassination
An African American civil rights activist who became the most visible spokesman in the American civil rights movement from 1955. He was unfortunately assassinated on April 4th of 1968. The one to blame for this tragedy is James Earl Ray.