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civil rights timeline
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Plessy v. Ferguson
Supreme Court decision ruled that state imposed racial segregation in trains was within constitutional boundaries -
Brown v. Board of Education
Declared racial segregation of schools unconstitutional. -
Murder of Emmett Till
14 year old Emmett Till was brutally murdered by a white man after he allegedly flirted with his wife. His corpse was so disfigured that his mother decided to have an open casket funeral to show the world what they did to her son. Till's murderer was found not guilty which caused an uproar across the nation. -
Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat for a white man violating segregation laws. Martin Luther King Jr organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott which led his rise as prominent figure in the Civil rights movement. -
Founding of Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) & Martin Luther King
The SCLC was formed by Martin Luther King, Jr., Bayard Rustin, Ralph Abernathy, Fred Shuttlesworth to have an organization that could better coordinated civil rights protests. -
Little Rock Nine & Central High School
A group of black students enrolled in an all white high school as a test of Brown vs Board Of Education ruling that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. On their first day of classes, the governor called the Arkansas National Guard to black the students entrance. Later eisenhower sent federal troops to escort the little rock nine into the school. -
Greensboro Sit-In
Students staged protests sit-ins at a segregated lunch counter and refused to leave after being denied service. The sit-ins were soon replicated across college towns in the south. Many were arrested but it forced establishments to change segregation policies. -
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) & Freedom Summer
They organized a voter registration drive aimed at increasing the number of black voters. The workers were mainly white volunteers. The activists were on the receiving of attacks by KKK, police, and local authorities. -
Freedom Ride/Freedom Riders
Civil rights activists that participated in bus riders throughout to protest segregated bus terminals. They intended to test a 1960 Supreme Court ruling that outlawed segregation in interstate buses. -
March on Washington
A protest march outside of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. Its purpose was to draw attention to the inequalities African Americans still faced. This also were Martin Luther King Jr delivered his famous speech "I Have a Dream" -
Civil Rights Act
The act prohibited discrimination in public spaces and employment.It provided for the integration of public schools and other public facilities. -
Assassination of Malcolm X- February 1965
Malcolm left the Nation of Islam and formed his own organization of african american unity. He was shot by a Nation of Islam member while speaking at a rally for his organization -
Voting Rights Act
Prohibited states from denying males the right to vote based on race. Despite this, discriminatory practices were in place to keep african americans from voting. -
Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King Jr was shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis Tennessee.His death sparked riots in several cities across the country. President Johnson called on congress to pass civil rights legislation. On April 11, he signed the Fair Housing Act
