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Brown v. Board of Education
The NAACP took 5 cases to the Supreme Court to overturn the “Separate but Equal” doctrine. The vote to overturn it was unanimous, 9-0. Although segregation was now outlawed, many blacks still did not go to school because of racism. Many white kids went to private schools to get away from the black kids. -
The Murder of Emmett Till
Fourteen year old Emmett Till was visiting family in Money, Mississippi when he was brutally murdered by Roy Bryant and JW Milan, for simply whistling at Carolyn Bryant. His body wasn’t recognizable after all of the damage done. His family only recognized him by a ring on his finger. The jury took only one hour to find Bryant and Milan not guilty. They later confessed to the murder because they could not be tried again because of double jeopardy. -
Rosa Parks and the Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a bus. She is then arrested and fined $10.
Martin Luther King Jr. and the church congregation make flyers for people to boycott the bus system. Buses ran empty for 381 days. The Supreme Court ruled that buses could no longer be segregated, but racism still flourished. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Atlanta pastors gather together to create events f9r black people to attend. Martin Luther King Jr. is elected the 1st president of the SCLC. This group also helped blacks register to vote, opposed the Vietnam War, and helped get black people better jobs. -
Greensboro Sit-Ins
Four college students go to Woolworth’s in Greensboro, North Carolina to buy some items and food; however they are not served when they sit at the counter. Over the days, more and more students came to sit at the counter to protest. Woolworths ended up losing $1.8 million dollars and was forced to make the decision to serve the black community. -
Little Rock 9
In Little Rock, Arkansas, 9 black students decided to enroll and attend an all white school. The governor of Arkansas calls out the National Guard to stop them. President Eisenhower calls in 1,200 military men to escort the students from their homes to class. By 1959, all schools are fully integrated. -
Freedom Riders
Starting in Washington, D.C., 436 individuals ride on buses to the Deep South. They experienced lots of brutal beatings and attacks. People slashed their tires, beat them, and fire bombed the buses. -
March on Washington
Two hundred fifty thousand people gathered in Washington D.C. for a peaceful and respectful protest in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The last speaker of the day would be Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This is when he gave his world famous “I Have A Dream” speech. -
Civil Rights Act (1964)
The Civil Rights Act enabled the federal government to desegregate facilities. This protected the rights of everyone by preventing segregation based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in private or public businesses and facilities. Businesses could no longer segregate or discriminate people because of these things now that it was a federal law. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
Malcolm Little was a civil rights activist born in Omaha, NE, and raised in Lansing, Michigan. He wanted black people to believe in themselves and start their own businesses. He was shot 21 times on the 21st of February, 1965. He was only 39 years old. -
Selma to Montgomery Marches (Bloody Sunday)
On March 7th, 1965 600 civil rights marchers walked 54 miles from Montgomery to Selma. They did this so they could register to vote. At the Edmond Bridge, they were brutally beaten by troopers. -
Voting Rights Act (1965)
The Voting Rights Act was signed by Lyndon B Johnson. This enabled the right to vote for African Americans without discrimination in the act of doing so. This was now a federal matter and not just up to each individual state. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King
One of the most famous and important civil rights activists, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated at his hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was shot in the lower right side of his face. The suspect, James Earl Ray, was sentenced to 99 years in prison.