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Little Rock 9
The Little Rock 9 were 9 high school students who got to attend Little Rock Central high school despite demonstrations from segregationist citizens. The governor of Arkansas, Orval Falbus, protested the high courts ruling by trying to impede on the new students attending. -
Emmett Till
Emmett Till was a 14 year old who supposedly made suggestive comments towards a white woman. The woman's husband later kidnapped, mutilated, shot and thrown into a river. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a protest against the institutionalized racism that perforated throughout the Montgomery public transit system. It started when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white person. The protest included a complete boycott of the bus system by the African-American population -
Youth Movement: SNCC and Sit-Ins
Several non-violence civil rights groups like the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee staged sit-ins in segregated places like restaurants and refused to leave in order to draw attention to the problems of racism. -
Freedom Riders
The Freedom Riders were a group of mixed raced people who challenged how public transportation in the south was segregated. They rode around on interstate buses to challenge the status quo. -
James Meredith and Ole Miss
James Meredith was a highly accomplished serviceman in the military and was very successful academically. He was rejected from the University of Mississippi twice, but filed a lawsuit because he was rejected only on the basis of skin color. He won that suit and soon became known as the first black student to be enrolled in Ole Miss -
The Philosophy of Non-Violence: Letters from a Birmingham Jail
Written By Martin Luther King Jr while incarcerated, letters from a Birmingham Jail justify the use of non-violent resistance to racism. The letters essentially say that non-violent demonstration is needed because waiting patiently for courts to dissolve racism is not always the best strategy. -
Project C and the Children's March
These things were where young people led the charge for civil rights. Project C was a bunch of organized sit ins and boycott and demonstrations, while the children's march was a march on Birmingham by school children, most of whom were arrested or assaulted with fire hoses and stuff -
March on Washington
One of the largest civil rights demonstrations in all of history. Between 200,000 and 300,000 american's attended the rally in Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr delivered his famous 'I have a dream' speech. This demonstration is credited in large part to passing the civil rights act. -
Freedom Summer
A campaign started in Mississippi in the summer of 1964 to increase black voter registration in Mississippi which is a state where there was not a high number of black voters. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The act was huge in ending racial problems in America. It outlawed segregation and ended unequal requirements for voter registration and made it much harder to be a white supremisist. At first there weren't many means by which the federal government could enforce these new measures but over time they were enforced and the act was a success -
Malcolm X
Malcolm X was a civil rights activist who was very controversial. He talked strongly about increasing rights for African Americans but was slightly racist himself in that he supported pan africanism and Black Supremecy. He was so highly controversial that three members of his own organization ended up assassinating him. -
Selma to Montgomery March
These marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama were designed to raise awareness for the discriminatory laws that disenfranchised a lot of black voters. The Marchers were frequently met with opposition from segregationists. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Here the new Act helped secure voting rights for racial minorities specifically African Americans. They were designed to help enforce the 13th and 14th amendments. It was instrumental in helping to get African Americans more voice in their government.
