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Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. This landmark decision overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and gave momentum to the Civil Rights Movement by showing that the legal system could be used to fight injustice. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Sparked by Rosa Parks' arrest for refusing to give up her seat, African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama, boycotted city buses for over a year. The boycott ended with a Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses was illegal. It also helped Martin Luther King Jr. rise as a civil rights leader. -
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
Over 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C., to demand civil and economic rights for African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech here. The march helped build support for new civil rights laws. -
Civil Rights Act
This law banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in public places and employment. It was one of the biggest victories of the Civil Rights Movement and enforced desegregation. -
Voting Rights Act
This law banned literacy tests and other barriers that prevented African Americans from voting, especially in the South. It gave the federal government power to oversee voter registration in states with a history of discrimination.