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Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was an 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. The case stemmed from an 1892 incident in which African-American train passenger Homer Plessy refused to sit in a car for blacks. History.com Staff. (2009). Plessy v. Ferguson. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/plessy-v-ferguson -
Formation of the NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization formed in 1909 as a biracial organization. It advanced the justice for African Americans. -
The Congress of Racial Equality is formed
The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) is an African American civil rights organization formed in 1942, which played a pivotal role for people of color during the Civil Rights Era. -
Desegregation of the military
In 1948, Harry Truman signed an Executive Order establishing the Presidents Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services. -
Malcolm X begins leading the Nation of Islam
Malcolm X was one of the most well-known leaders of the Nation of Islam, he was largely credited with the group's huge increase in members from the 1950's-1960's. Malcolm X was assassinated a few days after his final speech. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Brown v Board of Education was a case that the supreme court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for white and black people to be unconstitutional. This happened in 1952, and to this day has had a major influence on segregation, causing uproar to this day. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
A social protest against the racial segregation of bus rides. -
Emmett Till
Emmett Till was a black 14 year old boy, who was killed for flirting with a white sctore clerk. -
Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine black students who enrolled in an all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in September 1957. -
SCLC
An African-American civil rights orginization associated with MLK. -
Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee
An American political orginization that had a big role in the civil rights movement. -
Sit-Ins
A group of black people who would sit-in at a resturaunt and stay there until they were given service. -
The Freedom Riders
Freedom Riders were groups of white and African American civil rights activists who participated in Freedom Rides, bus trips through the American South in 1961 to protest segregated bus terminals. Freedom Riders tried to use “whites-only” restrooms and lunch counters at bus stations in Alabama, South Carolina, and other Southern states. History.com Staff. (2010). Freedom Riders. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/freedom-rides -
Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a dream" Speech.
The "I have a dream" speech was given by the civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr in 1963 in front of a crowd of 250,000 people. His speech used universal themes to pick out the struggles of black people before closing with an improvised riff about his dreams of equality. -
Birmingham Movement
A movement in 1963 that was organized by the SCLC to bring attention to the integration of African Americans. -
Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer, also known as the Mississippi Summer Project, was a 1964 voter registration drive sponsored by civil rights organizations including the Congress on Racial Equality and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. The Ku Klux Klan, police and state and local authorities carried out a series of violent attacks against the activists.
History.com Staff. (2009). Freedom Summer. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/freedom-summer -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, is considered one of the crowning legislative achievements of the civil rights movement. History.com Staff. (2010). Civil Rights Act of 1964. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-act -
Race Riots in Watts and other cities
A series of riots blamed on police racism, and the cities worst arrests. -
MLK Assassination
Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, an event that sent shock waves reverberating around the world. History.com Staff. (2010). Martin Luther King, Jr. Assassination. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr-assassination -
Boston Busing
The Boston Busing is when the desegregation of public schools was under court control to desegregate through a system of busing students. It took place from 1974-1988. -
Rodney King Trial
The jury acquitted three police officers but couldn't agree on one of the charges against Powell.
