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Brown V. Board of Education
This was a case which was brought to the Supreme Court to decide whether segregation in schools was constitutional. It was argued that segregation went against the 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause. Segregation in schools was ultimately ruled by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional. This case was so extremely important because it overturned the idea of "separate but equal" established in Plessy V. Ferguson. This was one of the first steps in ending segregation in the South. -
Death of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was a 14 year old African American boy from Chicago. He was visiting Money, Mississippi when he jokingly whistled at a white woman on the street. This woman's husband and friend would then brutally murder Till that night. This was important because it sparked a rise in anger across America and really set the Civil Rights Movement on its feet. African Americans were disgusted with the way they were treated and Till's death furthered this disgust. -
Montgomery Bus Boycotts
Rosa Parks was arrested in December, 1955 for giving refusing to give up her seat to a white person. This led to blacks in Montgomery to boycott the bus system for over a year, refusing to ride them until the segregation laws were changed. This boycott was both very successful and important because it caused the buses to lose drastic amounts of money. This drove the bus companies to disban their segregation laws on buses, allowing black passengers to ride without having to stand in the back. -
Greensboro Sit-ins
Four African American college students living in Greensboro went to a Woolworth's store for lunch. They sat down at a white only lunch counter and asked to be served. When they were denied they refused to get up, and when they were forced out, four more college students took their place. This is important because it forced Woolworth's and many other restaurants in the South to change their segregation policy. It was another step for civil rights. -
Civil Rights Act 1964
This was an act which was first proposed by JFK and then later enacted under President Lyndon B. Johnson. This outlawed segregation in public places as well as discrimination in the workplace. This is important because it was one of the greatest legislative accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement. Although it didn't achieve full equality, with voting, housing and more, it would lead the way for more civil rights acts to follow suit. -
Selma-Montgomery March
This march from Selma to Montgomery was a march in protest to allow black voters to register in the South. This was a 52 mile march which took place over 5 days. These marches faced violence from local authorities and white supremacist groups. This was an important stride by the African American community because it showed the rest of America of the need for black voting rights. It also encouraged other African Americans to rise up and fight for their right to vote. -
March on Washington and "I have a Dream" Speech
25,000 African Americans marched into the nation's capitol, Washington D.C., in protest against discrimination and in fight for jobs and freedom. This also consisted of Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic "I have a Dream" speech. This was important because it called attention to the struggles in African American's every day lives. It showed America how discriminatory and racist much of the South can be, sparking even more strides for legal change to come.
