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Brown v. Board of Education
When Oliver Brown wanted his daughter Linda Brown to attend an all white school for a better education, they were rejected. Brown decided to take this to court and the NAACP combined the case with 5 similar cases. The court ruled that schools will be fully integrated, leaving a victory to African-American students, but still going through hardships of racism. -
Murder of Emmett Till
14 year old boy Emmett Till was accused of wolf whistling at Carolyn Bryant. Her husband Roy Bryant and his friends kidnapped, tortured, and drowned Emmet Till. When they found his body in the river, his murders were put on trial. They were found not guilty. Mamie Till had an open casket funeral so the world can see what they did to her boy. -
Rosa Parks and The Bus Boycott
After a long day of work for Rosa Parks, she rode the bus and refused to give up her seat to a white man. She was then arrested, fined $10, and stayed overnight behind bars. Her arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Martin Luther King Jr. lead the boycott and it lasted for 381 days. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Martin Luther King Jr. organized a meeting with 60 other pastors to help the civil rights movement. The meeting was to organize black events such as nonviolent protest. Martin Luther King Jr. was elected as the first president of this group. The main goal for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was to help black people fight for their rights in a nonviolent manner. -
Little Rock 9
Ernest Green, Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls were the first black teenagers to integrate into an all white school. The governor of Arkansas disapproved and had state troops block the school. On their first day of school, there were mobs shouting at them almost getting violent towards the 9 students. The president assigned the national guard to escort the students throughout the school day. -
Greensboro Sit Ins
When four black college students wanted to buy items from Woolworth’s and were denied service, they just sat at the lunch center. They were told to leave, but they stayed. They would come again and do the same thing, but have more people with them. The amount of people grew over to 1,000. -
Freedom Riders
Thirty-nine diverse volunteers went on two greyhound buses and left Washington on their way to the south. When they made it to Anniston Alabama, the KKK slashed the first bus’s tires, set the bus on fire, and beat the volunteers. The second bus made it to Birmingham Alabama and the volunteers were also beaten. They would later be arrested in Jackson Mississippi a few days later. -
March on Washington
Lead by Martin Luther King Jr., 250,000 people marched in Washington DC. It was a peaceful and respectful protest for the civil rights of black Americans. This is where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech where that one day our nation can treat people by the content of character. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Lyndon B. Johnson along with other republicans supported the bill over democratic opposition. It had the federal government to prevent racial discrimination and segregation based on race, color, religion or national origin in private or public facilities. Crazy how the government needed law enforcement for people to be decent human beings. -
Malcom X
Malcom Little aka Malcom X was a civil rights leader and a part of Nation of Islam. His main goal was for black people to believe and stand up for themselves. Although he came from a rough past, he was an inspiration for many people. He was unfortunately shot 21 times with a close range gun and died from his wounds at age 39. -
Bloody Sunday
The march from Selma to Montgomery Alabama was led by John Lewis for black people who wanted to register to vote. It would take 54 miles for them to get to their destination. There were stopped at the Edmond Pettus Bridge by state troopers. The troopers began to beat over 600 unarmed marchers. Out of the 600 only 4 died. -
Voting Rights Act
Blacks can now register to vote without any discrimination. It was a state matter before but when the act was signed it was now a federal matter. The act was signed by Lyndon B. Johnson into law. -
Martin Luther King Jr
A sanitation workers protest in Memphis Tennessee was lead by Martin Luther King Jr. When he went back to his motel, he was shot on the lower right side of his face with a Remington rifle. He was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital and was pronounced dead at 7:05pm. His killer was believed to be James Earl Ray and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Martin Luther King Jr’s death marked the end of the Civil Rights Movement.