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Brown vs. Board of Education
This court case was momentous because it declared "separate but equal" as unconstitutional; this contradicts the older court case of Plessy vs. Ferguson. It allowed for the integration of African Americans and Caucasians in all public facilitates which was a huge win for the Civil Rights Movement. Even though it was not an easy transition, this was a step that they needed which puts them even closer to getting rid of segregation forever. -
Greensboro Sit-ins
During the Civil Rights Movement, some college students in North Carolina started to pose their own nonviolent protests by sitting at the bar in Woolworth's which were reserved for African Americans. All they did was order food and people threw things at them and tried to pull them out of the seats. This is important because it showed how out of hand the situations were getting and how students can make a difference if they put their minds to it. -
Rosa Parks and Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks was on a bus in Montgomery and refused to give up her seat because she was tired and was arrested for it. This lead to the Bus Boycott which was headed by the SCLC and all of the African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama boycotted all of the buses for over a year. This made a statement for the city and showed the important role African Americans played in the city and in their income. This important because it would force the city care about the African Americans for the economy. -
Little Rock Nine
Following the decision of Brown vs. Board of Education, many schools were still reluctant to allow integration in the schooling systems. This happened in Little Rock, Arkansas when the governor sent in the National Guard to keep the African Americans out of school. In order to show his seriousness, Eisenhower sent in federal troops and had every African American student escorted into school with a personal guard. Eisenhower established that if you won't listen, he'll force you to. -
Freedom Riders
Unlike the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Freedom Riders rode intrastate buses that constantly crossed state borders. That meant that they were protected by federal government. However, that was not always the case. These buses bombed constantly and a lot of the riders died, but they would be quickly replaced and this went on for a long time. They did this to ensure that the desegregation of the buses was upheld. They knew if they didn't, the state governments would go on non including them. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This was a huge advancement for the Civil Rights Movement. This specifically states that things that the state governments cannot do in regards to segregation. It banned discrimination in public places and employment, outlawed unfair voting restrictions, and established the EEOC. This was extremely important because now it is a lot harder to get around the rules when they are so obviously stated for people to abide by. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 finally helped African Americans get rid of discrimination at the voting polls. This got rid of poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses. With this act, one of the main goals of the Civil Rights Movement was achieved, which was the right to vote. This was extremely important and is still in place today because there is not allowed to be discrimination in voting.
