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Emmett Till
Emmett Till was a 14 year old boy who was visiting his family in Mississippi when he was kidnapped, brutally murdered, and dumped in the Tallahatchie River by 2 white men who thought he whistled at a white women. The case was a big trigger for the Civil Rights movement and Black Power. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The case is Oliver Brown against the Board of Education. The ruling of the case says that segregation in schools is unconstitutional. It was a huge start for desegregation. -
Rosa Parks on the bus
Rosa Parks was a black women who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. She was arrested, and in response the Montgomery Bus Boycott begun. -
Martin Luther King Jr is arrested
During an anti-segregation protest, MLK Jr is arrested. While in jail he writes his seminal "Letter from Birmingham Jail" saying that people should have the right to disobey laws if they aren't what is right. This led to more protests and mob violence from his angry supporters. -
March on Washington
Approximately 200,000 people gather in front of the Lincoln Memorial to listen to MLK give his "I Have a Dream" Speech. This encouraged many and was a good platform for Civil Rights. -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment is passed, getting rid of the poll tax. The tax had been established in 11 southern states in order to make it harder for black people to vote, and now they could do it easily. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This Act was signed by President Johnson in 1964. It banned all discrimination of all kinds.The law also lets the federal government enforce desegregation -
Shooting of Malcolm X
Malcolm was shot and killed February afternoon in Harlem New York. It is believed he was shot by 'Black Muslims', which he left behind for Orthodox Islam. This created more tension and riots to break out. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Congress passed this Act to make it easier for southern blacks to register to vote. Things preventing them from voting like poll taxes and literacy tests were made illegal. -
Shooting of Martin Luther King Jr
As MLK was standing on the blacony of his hotel in Memphis, Tennesse, he was shot and killed. James Earl Ray was convicted of the crime. This put a damper on the Civil Rights Movement.
