-
Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme court's ruling on the Brown v. Board of Education was a huge turning point for african american rights. A black family who resided in a white area, very close to a public school was not allowed to enroll their daughter due to her race. This caused outrage by the parents, and the case eventually worked its way to the highest governmental court. This court then changed segregation laws and banned schools from allowing it. -
Murder Of Emmett Till
The black community was in outrage after the murder of a 14 year old boy in Money, Mississippi. The boy was Emmett Till, he was beaten to death by two white men after reportedly flirting with a white woman. He was beaten, strangled, shot, and then thrown in a river with a barbed wire weight around his neck. When the body was found, Emmett's mother wanted an open casket funeral to show how truly horrific segregation can be. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The bus boycott in Montgomery Alabama was a social and political protest of unfair, unjust treatment to african americans on public transit. Even before Rosa Parks had been arrested, there was already a plea for better treatment that was made by the WPC 6 years prior. Negro patrons accounted for 75% of the bus revenue, and when they refused to use transit, the companies began to fail until they were forced to make changes. -
Little Rock Crisis
After the Brown v. Board case, schools were no longer allowed to segregate students by race. The school officials of Little Rock, Arkansas did not comply with the newly instated laws, and so President Eisenhower had to send troops to personally escort african american students to the school. This lasted for months, and the white population still threatened the african american students. -
Freedom Riders
Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated southern states to test the supreme courts decisions Boynton v. Virginia and Irene Morgan v. Commonwealth of virginia. The first freedom ride left washington DC on may 4th, of 1961 and was scheduled to arrive in new orleans may 17th. -
Albany Movement
This desegregation coalition was formed in Albany, Georgia. There were peaceful protests conducted by the SNCC, over five hundred demonstrators were arrested, including Dr. King. When press arrived, he was released. After King left, the officials would not negotiate at all. This was the first instance of King being arrested over a peaceful protest, and eventually caused the nine-month movement to fail. -
March On Washington
250,000 people walked from the washington monument to the lincoln memorial, where they listened to species from representatives of various organizations.At the end of this gathering, Martin Luther King delivered his world famous "I have a dream" speech. This demonstrated the true power and optimism that the Civil Rights Alliance had. -
16th Street Church Bombing
The 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama was bombed on Sunday, September 15, 1963 as an act of racial terrorism. This deplorable act against the African American church took the lives of four girls. It marked a major turning point in favor of the civil rights alliance as it contributed to the support of the 1964 civil rights act. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Passed by Lyndon B. Johnson to end public discrimination of black people and other minorities. This was a huge political step towards equality for the Civil Rights Movement. It finally allowed blacks to integrate with white people. The act ended segregation and demanded integration, which was already beginning after the supreme courts ruling for Brown VS Board of Education. -
Selma March
Three marches in 1965 marked the political and emotional peak in the African American civil rights movement. These were created from the voting rights movement happening in selma, and was launched by local African Americans who formed the Dallas County Voters League (DCVL) This met with the SNCC, who asked for help from Dr. King and his followers. This brought thousands of people to march.
