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Brown Vs. Board of Education
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). This decision dismantled the "separate but equal" doctrine and became the legal foundation for challenging segregation in all public spaces. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Sparked by Rosa Parks' arrest for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger, the 381-day boycott led to the Supreme Court ruling (Browder v. Gayle) that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional. -
March on Washington
Over 250,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. This event pressured Congress to pass civil rights legislation. -
Selma to Montgomery Marches
Activists marching for voting rights were violently attacked on "Bloody Sunday" at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The marches culminated in the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibited racial discrimination in voting. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, this act banned literacy tests, poll taxes, and other barriers used to disenfranchise Black voters. It dramatically increased voter registration in the South.