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13th Amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment is passed abolishing slavery in the United States. -
14th Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment is passed guaranteeing all African-Americans the rights of full U.S. citizens. -
15th Amendment
The Fifteenth Amendment is passed guaranteeing the right to vote for all citizens regardless of race. -
First Jim Crow Laws
Tennessee passes the first of the “Jim Crow” segregation laws, segregating state railroads. Similar laws are passed over the next 15 years throughout the Southern states. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
The Supreme Court rules that segregation is legal in the Plessy v. Ferguson case using the "separate but equal" argument. -
NAACP founded
The NAACP is founded by African-American leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois and Ida B. Wells. -
Ku Klux Klan national march
In its first national demonstration the Ku Klux Klan marches on Washington, D.C -
Jackie Robinson plays in MLB
Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American to play major league baseball. -
Military segregation ends
President Harry S. Truman ends segregation in the U.S. armed forces. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
The Supreme Court rules that segregation in the schools is unconstitutional in the Brown v. Board of Education case, overturning the earlier ruling in the Plessy v. Ferguson case. -
Rosa Parks arrested
Rosa Parks is arrested for not giving up her seat on the bus. This sparks the Montgomery Bus Boycott which lasts for over a year. Eventually, segregation on the buses in Montgomery comes to an end. -
Little Rock Nine
Nine black students known as the “Little Rock Nine,” are blocked from integrating into Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. President Dwight D. Eisenhower eventually sends federal troops to escort the students, however, they continue to be harassed. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
Eisenhower signs the Civil Rights Act of 1957 into law to help protect voter rights. The law allows federal prosecution of those who suppress another’s right to vote. -
Counter Sit Ins
Four college students in Greensboro, North Carolina refuse to leave a Woolworth’s “whites only” lunch counter without being served. Their nonviolent demonstration sparks similar “sit-ins” throughout the city and in other states. -
The Freedom Riders
The Freedom Riders protest by riding buses into the segregated southern states challenging their Jim Crow laws. -
Birmingham Campaign; MLK arrested
The Birmingham Campaign takes place in Birmingham, Alabama. Schoolchildren marching in non-violent protest are met with police dogs and fire hoses. Martin Luther King, Jr. is arrested and writes his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail." -
"I Have a Dream"
Approximately 250,000 people take part in The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King gives the closing address in front of the Lincoln Memorial and states, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’” -
Birmingham Church Bombing
A bomb at 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama kills four young girls and injures several other people prior to Sunday services. The bombing fuels angry protests. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. It outlaws discrimination based on race, national origin, and gender. It also outlaws segregation and the Jim Crow laws. -
MLK wins Nobel Peace Prize
Martin Luther King, Jr. is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. -
Selma, Alabama march
Marchers in Selma, Alabama are met by police with tear gas. Several marchers are injured and the day is nicknamed "Bloody Sunday." -
Voting Rights Act
President Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to prevent the use of literacy tests as a voting requirement. It also allowed federal examiners to review voter qualifications and federal observers to monitor polling places. -
Government Affirmative Action
President Lyndon Johnson issues an order requiring "Affirmative Action" in hiring minorities for federal government work. -
Thurgood Marshall appointed
Thurgood Marshall becomes the first African-American Supreme Court Justice. -
MLK assassinated
Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. -
Civil Rights Act of 1968
President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act, providing equal housing opportunity regardless of race, religion or national origin. -
Colin Powell appointed
Colin Powell is appointed as the first African-American Secretary of State. -
Barack Obama elected
Barack Obama is the first African-American elected President of the United States.
