Civil Rights Movement

Brown vs. Board of Education

May 17, 1954

The court case that allowed separate but equal facilities is Brown vs. Board of Education. This was started after blacks were not receving the same education as whites. as a result, supreme court determinded that people should be "seperate but equal".

Reverend George Lee KIlled

May 7, 1955

Reverend George Lee is killed for leading voter-registration drive in Belzoni, Mississippi

Lamar Smith Murdered

Aug 13, 1955

Lamar Smith is murdered for organizing black voters in Brockhaven, Mississippi

Emmett Louis Till Murdered

Aug 28, 1955

Emmett Louis Till is murdered for speaking to a white woman in Money, Mississippi

John Earl Reese Slain

Oct 22, 1955

John Earl Reese is Slain by nightriders opposed to school improvements in Mayflower, Texas

Rosa Parks Arrested

Dec 1, 1955

Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama, By refusing to give up her seat, she began the Montgomery bus boycott, which eventually made Mongomery abolish their bus segregation law.

Montgomery Bus Boycott Begins

Dec 5, 1955

sSarted by Rosa Parks, the Montgomery bus boycott begins.

Supreme Court Bans Segregated Seating

Nov 13, 1956

Supreme court bans segregated seating on Montgomery buses in Montgomery, Alabama.

Willie Edwards Jr. Killed

Jan 23, 1957

Willie Edwards Jr. is killed by Klansmen in Montgomery, Alabama.

Congress Passes First Civil Rights Act

Aug 29, 1957

President Dwight D. Eisenhower passed the first civil rights act since reconstruction. This law established the Civil Rights Division, created the United States Civil Rights Commision, and gave power to prosecute people who denied another person's right to vote.

President Eisenhower Enforces Desegregation of Schools

Sep 24, 1957

After governor Orval Faubus prevented African Americans from going to Central High School, President Eisenhower ordered federal troops to enforce desegregation in schools in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Mack Charles Parker Lynched

Apr 25, 1959

Mack Charles Parker is taken from jail and lynched in Poplarville, Mississippi.

Black Students Sit at "Whites Only" Counter

Feb 1, 1960

Black students stage sit-in at "whites only" lunch counter in Greerisboro, North Carolina.

Supreme Court Outlaws Segregation in Bus Terminals

Dec 5, 1960

Supreme court outlaws segregation in bus terminals.

Freedom Riders Attacked in Alabama

May 14, 1961

Freedom Riders challenged segregation laws in the south, and refused to abide by them on the bus. An organization that helped organize the freedom riders was Congress of Racial Equality. Freedom riders were not purely limited to just African Americans, since some whites supported them as well. In Birmingham, Alabama, Freedom Riders were attacked by Klansman while testing compliance with bus desegregation laws.

Herbert Lee Killed

Sep 25, 1961

Voter registration worker Herbert Lee is killed by a white legislator in Liberty, Mississippi.

Civil Rights Groups Join Forces

Apr 1, 1962

Civil rights groups join forces to launch voter registration drive.

Roman Ducksworth Jr Killed

Apr 9, 1962

Corporal Roman Ducksworth Jr was taken from a bus and killed by police in Tayforsville, Mississippi.

James Meredith Enrolls at Ole Miss

Sep 30, 1962

Riots erupted when James Meredith, a black student, enrolled at Ole Miss. When Meredith tried to enroll at Ole Miss, he was accepted until the registsrar found out his race. The governmet became involved in the event by sending over 500 troops.

Paul Guihard Killed At Ole Miss

Sep 30, 1962

Paul Guihard, a French reporter, was killed during the Ole Miss riot.

William Lewis Moore Slain

Apr 23, 1963

William Moore was slain during the one-man march against segregation in Attalla, Alabama.

Birmingham Police Attack

May 3, 1963

Birmingham police attacked marching children with dogs and fire hoses.

Alabama Governor Stands in School Door

Jun 11, 1963

Alabama governor George Wallace stands in schoolhouse door to stop university integration.

Medger Evers Assassinated

Jun 12, 1963

Medger Evers was a civil rights actvist that set up boycotts of racist companies and was a secretary for the NAACP. After many death threats, Medger Evers was assassinated in the driveway of his home in Jackson, Mississippi.

March on Washington

Aug 28, 1963

This March was planned to show the hidden stuggles African Americans faced every day. During this event, Martin Luther King's famous "I have A Dream" speech was unveiled.

Four Schoolgirls Killed in Church

Sep 15, 1963

Addie Mae Collins, Denise Mcnair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley were killed in the bombing of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

Vrgil Ware Killed

Sep 15, 1963

Virgil Lamar Ware, a youth, is killed during a wave of racist violence in Birmingham, Alabama

Poll Tax Outlawed

Jan 23, 1964

Poll tax is outlawed in federal elections.

Louis Allen Assassinated

Jan 31, 1964

Louis Allen, a witness to a murder of a civil rights worker, is murdered in Liberty, Mississippi.

Reverend Bruce Klunder Killed

Apr 7, 1964

Reverend Bruce Klunder is killed while protesting the construction of a segregated school in Cleveland, Ohio.

Henry Dee and Charles Moore Killed

May 2, 1964

Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore are killed by Klansmen in Meadville, Mississippi.

Freedom Summer Brings Volunteers to Mississippi

Jun 20, 1964

Frredom Summer brings 1,000 young civil rights volunteers to Mississippi.

Three Civil Rights Workers Killed

Jun 21, 1964

James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, civil rights workers, are abducted and slain by Klansmen in Philadelphia, Mississippi.

President Signs Civil Rights Act

Jul 2, 1964

President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Lemuel Penn Killed

Jul 11, 1964

Lieutenant Colonel Lemuel Penn is killed by Klansmen while driving north in Colbert, Georgia.

Jimmie Jackson Killed

Feb 26, 1965

Jimmie Lee Jackson, a civil rights marcher, is killed by a state trooper in Marion, Alabama.

James Reeb Killed

Mar 11, 1965

Reverend James Reeb, a march volunteer, is beaten to death in Selma, Alabama.

Many Finish Voting Rights March

Mar 25, 1965

Thousands complete the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March.

Viola Liuzzo Killed

Mar 25, 1965

Viola Gregg Liuzzo is killd by Klansmen while transporting marchers at Selma Highway, Alabama.

Oneal Moore Killed

Jun 2, 1965

Oneal Moore, a black deputy, is killed by nightriders in Varnado, Louisiana.

Congress Passes Voting Rights Act

Jul 9, 1965

Congress passes Voting Rights Act of 1965

Willie Brewster Killed

Jul 18, 1965

Willie Brewster is killed by nightriders in Anniston, Alabama.

Jonathan Daniels Killed

Aug 20, 1965

Jonathan Daniels, a seminary student, is killed by a deputy in Hayneville, Alabama.

Samuel Younge Jr. Killed

Jan 3, 1966

Samuel Young Jr, a student civil rights activist, is killed in a dispute in Tuskegee, Alabama

Vernon Dahmer Killed

Jan 10, 1966

Vernon Dahmer, a black community leader, is killed in a Klan bombing in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Ben White Killed

Jun 10, 1966

Ben Chester White is killed by Klansmen in Natchez, Mississippi.

Clarence Triggs Slain

Jul 30, 1966

Clarence Triggs is slain by nightriders in Bognlusa, Louisiana.

Wharlest Jackson Killed

Feb 27, 1967

Wharlest Jackson, a civil rights activist, is killed after a promotion to a 'white job' in Natchez, Mississippi.

Benjamin Brown Killed

May 12, 1967

Benjamin Brown, a civil rights worker, is killed when police fired on protestors in Jackson, Mississippi.

Thurgood Marshall Sworn In As First Black Supreme Court Justice

Oct 2, 1967

Before becoming a justice, Thurgood Marshall was the winning lawyer in the Brown vs. Board of Education case. This was a monumental event because it made African Americans "separate but equal".

Three Students Killed

Feb 8, 1968

Samuel Hammond Jr., Delano Middleton, and Henry Smith are killed when highway patrolmen fire on protestors in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Assassinated

Apr 4, 1968

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is killed on the balcony of his home in Memphis, Tennessee by James Earl Ray. This event had a big impact on whites and African Americans because this event sparked riots in over 100 cities, fueling the end to racism.