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Brown v. Board of Education
In this case, segregation in public schools was declared unconstitutional, which violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. This event was significant because it decreased segregation in other places as well and helped blacks gain the courage to rise up for their rights -
The murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was a 14 year old, African American boy from Chicago, Illinois who got brutially murdered in Money, Mississippi for supposably flirting with a 21-year-old in a local market. -
Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Boycott
Rosa Parks, being a black woman, sat in the front row of the black section and was asked to give up her seat to a white person because the white section was full. She refused and was arrested. For over a year the blacks walked to wherever they needed to go and eventually the city buses couldn't stay in business. -
Southern Christain Leadership Conference
Martin Luther King, Charles K. Steele, and Fred L. Shuttlesworth establish the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, of which King is made the first president. The goal of their group was to stick up for blacks in a non-vilolent way -
The Arrest of Martin Luther King Jr
Martin Luther King is arrested and jailed during a protest in Alabama. As he is in jail he write the famous letter "Letters of Birmingham Jail" explaining that if laws seem unfair, us as indiviuals have the right to speak up. -
March on Washington
About 200,000 come together to March on Washington and then gather on the mall towards the Lincoln Memorial to listen to Martin Luther Kings "I have a dream" speech -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
President Johnson signs the Civil Rights act which prohibits discrimination of all kinds based on race, color, religion, or national origin. The law also provides the federal government with the powers to enforce desegregation. -
Malcom X's death
Malcolm X, black nationalist and founder of the Organization of Afro-American Unity, is shot to death. It is believed the assailants are members of the Black Muslim faith, which Malcolm had recently abandoned in favor of orthodox Islam. -
Voting for Blacks
Congress passes the Voting Rights Act of 1965, making it easier for Southern blacks to register to vote. Literacy tests, poll taxes, and other such requirements that were used to restrict black voting are made illegal. -
The Death of MLK
In Memphis, Tenn. Martin Luther King Jr is shot while standing on the balcony outside his hotel room. His shooter, James Earl Ray is covicted of the crime
