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Brown v. Board of Education
A Supreme Court case decided that racial segregation of schools was unconstitutional. Many schools, however, remained segregated. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
After Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat to a white man, African American refused to ride public transportation to protest segregation. -
Student Sit-Ins Began
Four university students were denied service at a lunch counter but allowed to stay sitting. Similar events would take place all over the South and be effective in integrating other public areas. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott Ends
After 381 days, the boycott ended after Montgomery buses became integrated. -
SCLC is Founded
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was founded at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. The group focused on nonviolent protests and had Martin Luther King Jr. serve as their first president. -
Desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas
Nine African American students enrolled in Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. The school was previously all-white and their enrollment tested the Brown v. Board of Education case. -
March on Washington
Over 250,000 people joined in the march and gathered around the Lincoln Memorial to listen to Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. The march was held to protest discrimination and ultimately resulted in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer, or the Mississippi Summer Project, was a voter registration drive with the goal of registering as many African American voters as possible. Organizations like the Congress on Racial Equality and Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee sponsored it. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964 is Passed
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs and passes the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The act prevents discrimination of race, color, sex, and/or religion. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965 is Passed
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that bans the use of literacy tests to prevent African Americans from voting.
