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Brown v. Board of Education
This case argued that segregation was inherently unequal. The Supreme Court declared that segregation in schools was unconstitutional.This decision helped lead to the desegregation of schools throughout America. -
Rosa Parks Refuses To Give Up Bus Seat
Rosa Parks, an African-American woman refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. She was arrested for this illegal act. This event sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott and MIA
The bus system was boycotted by almost all of the African-Americans in Montgomery. In conjunction with this event, Martin Luther King Jr. is elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). Despite their efforts, officials refuse to desegregate buses. -
Bombings on African American Churches and Civil Rights Leaders' Homes
Whites that are angry about the Montgomery Bus Boycott decide to bomb African-American property. Four African American churches are bombed. The homes of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph Abernathy, and E.D. Nixon are also bombed. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1957. The Act marked the first occasion since Reconstruction where the federal government undertook significant legislative action to protect civil rights. It created the Civil Rights Division in the Justice Department, and empowered federal officials to prosecute individuals that attempted to deny or abridge another citizen's right to vote. -
Martin Luther King Jr. Visits India
Martin Luther King Jr. travels to India with his wife. He went to India to gain a deeper understanding of Gandhi and was warmly embraced there. King’s trip to India had a huge influence on his understanding of nonviolent resistance and his commitment to the civil rights movement in America. -
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
This committee was formed to coordinate the widespread student protests started in Greensboro, North Carolina. In the spring of 1961, the SNCC became a major force in the civil rights movement by its involvement in the Freedom Rides and other nonviolent protests. It later focused on gaining the freedom to vote. -
Sit-Ins Begin
In February, 1960, four students from North Carolina A & T College sat down at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, and refused to leave. Many other African-American students saw this and did the same. They were arrested and the NAACP raised money for fines and bonds. -
CORE's Freedom Rides
CORE wanted to test the Supreme Court Decision in Boynton v. Virginia, which said that segregation in railway and bus terminal facilities was illegal. Some buses were firebombed and others were assaulted. Many freedom riders were arrested. -
The Albany Movement
This group of local activists, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) got together in Albany, Georgia. They attempted to desegregate the entire city. Many more African-Americans were arrested for their nonviolent action. -
Protests in Birmingham, Alabama
The African American protesters were dispersed by fire hoses and dogs because the jails were already full of African-Americans. This campaign was lead by Martin Luther King Jr., who would not give up until desegregation was achieved. -
President Kennedy's Civil Rights Address
This address, broadcast across the whole nation announced that he was going to ask Congress to enact landmark civil rights legislation. Martin Luther King Jr. was extremely pleased by this, as it was a huge step forward in the civil rights movement. Shortly after, Kennedy sent his civil rights bill to Congress. -
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" Speech
Martin Luther delivered his "I Have a Dream Speech", one of the most famous speeches in history. He envisioned a time when blacks and whites would be together and when color would no longer matter. The response in Washington and across the nation was electric. -
24th Amendment
With the ratification of the 24th Amendment, voters no longer had to pay a poll tax in order to vote. The 24th amendment deemed it unconstitutional. The poll tax was originally instituted to prevent African-Americans, who were mostly poor, from voting. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, and it ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. It was the successful ending to the civil rights movement.
