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Brown vs. Board of Education
Judge John Marshall, first African American on the Supreme Court, ruled that segregation was unconstitutional, under the reasons of "separate and unequal". This inspired Chief Justice Earl Warren, who wrote the opinion for the case that overturned Plessy vs. Ferguson. This was significant because after years of no change the Supreme Court passed an edict ordering schools to desegregate "with deliberate speed". -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a prominent African American woman, was arrested when she refused to give up her seat in the whites only section. Just three days later, her arrest inspired the SCLC, with the help of MLK encourage a boycott of all the city buses in Montgomery. A year later, the case finally got up to the Supreme Court and they ruled "the segregated system was unconstitutional. This was significant because it required southern cities to desegregate their public transportation. -
Civil Rights Act 1957
President Eisenhower created this Civil Rights Act, the first occasion since Reconstruction when the government took action to protect civil rights. This Act included many provisions to protect the African American's voting rights, including an six-member U.S. Civil Rights Commission to investigate allegations of voter infringement and a Civil Rights Division in the Justice Department. This was significant because it signaled a growing commitment to protecting civil rights by the government. -
Little Rock Central High School Integration
Eisenhower met serious opposition from Governor Orval Faubus of Arkansas, he sent 1,000 paratroopers from the United States Army 101st Airborne Division in Ft. Campbell, Kentucky to Little Rock to help with the integration. On September 5, 1957, the Little Rock Nine enrolled in Central High and after many months of ridicule and torment they completed their first year. This was significant because it showed how the government was actively fighting against segregation. -
NAACP Convention in Atlanta
At the annual National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NACCP, Convention they discussed the major segregation still in Atlanta, even while a members of the KKK stood outside the convention center. The delegates wanted increased Federal government support and to intensify civil rights campaigns in large cities, outside the South. This was significant because it showed everyone that the African Americans were not giving up until they lived in a desegregated country. -
March on Washington, DC
On August 23, 1963, over 250,000 Americans, including 500 congress members, marched on Washington, DC to draw attention to the Civil Rights Movement. The march ended at the capital where leaders of the CMR spoke before Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous " I have a Dream" speech that rocked the nation. This was immensely significant because it brought much needed dramatization and political attention to the federal legislation of desegregation and ending discrimination. -
Civil Rights Act 1964
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Civil Rights Act 1964 into law. This Act outlawed segregation in public places and business, such as libraries, theaters, swimming pools, schools, etc. It also banned discrimination in employment. This was significant because it made segregation illegal and was a major step towards equality for the African Americans. -
Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination
On April 4, 1968, Dr. MLK was sniped down by James Earl Ray while King was on his way to a nonviolent march in Tennessee to support the city's striking sanitation workers. Four days later, his wife and four children and more than 450,000 more led a silent march in Memphis to honor the King and his achievements through the Civil Right's Movement. This was significant because it inspired others to keep fighting until they were able to achieve MLK's dream.
