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Emmett Till was an African American boy who grew up in Mississippi in the 40's and 50's. At the age of 14, Till was seen talking to Carolyn Bryant, the 21 year old married grocery store owner. Bryant's husband, a racist white man, and Bryant's half-brother beat, killed, and discarded Till for "flirting" with Mrs. Bryant on August 28, 1955, when Till was just 14 years old. His mother chose to have an open casket to show just how awful racism is.
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The Montgomery Bus Boycott was when African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama would no longer ride buses in protest of segregated seating. This was the first monumental demonstration in the Civil Rights movement, and lasted for over a year. It began with Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat to a white man.
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Little Rock 9 was a collection of 9 African American students who went to a segregated school. This sparked controversy and the governor of Arkansas became involved as well. Then, segregated schools were deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
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Ella baker started the SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) because she felt that Martin Luther King Jr. was not moving at the fast pace of reform the youth desired. She organized sit-ins and viewed the non-violent approach as more of a political strategy rather than a strategy of reform.
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Freedom Riders were those who rode buses through the South in protest of segregation. They tried to instill integration concepts wherever they went, even when their efforts were met with violence. They would use "white only" bathrooms and go to white only restaurants in protest.
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James Meredith was an African American military veteran who was enrolled in the University of Mississippi. However, a riot ensued once racist people realized this, and did not want him to be allowed to attend the university.
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Civil Rights Movement Campaign-- Project C was a series of sit-ins, protests, and demonstrations to quell segregation. These events were met with violence and brutality, but eventually allowed for the removal of white/black only signs in Birmingham.
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These letters were written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and they stressed the important of non-violent protest. King was treated poorly in the jail and needed to write a response to a newspaper article he had seen. He managed to collect bits of paper here and there to write on.
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The March on Washington was a political rally with 200,000 Americans to address jobs and freedom. This was the birthplace of MLK's famous speech, the "I have a Dream" speech.
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Freedom Summer was a movement which combined the forces of the SNCC and the CORE. This movement was meant to increase the amount of voters in Mississippi. These African American and Pro- Civil Rights voters faced constant torment from the KKK and police.
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The Civil Rights Act is a legislative act that forbid any form of discrimination based on race, gender, etc. It was a very monumental aspect of the Civil Rights Movement.
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Selma, Alabama, is a city that received the most efforts to raise Black-voting awareness. Protesters would march from Selma to the capital, Montgomery, but faced violence from authorities.
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Malcolm X was a minster and an activist who was especially significant during the Civil Rights Movement. He was very influential in the Nation of Islam, but was assassinated by some of their members.
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The Voting Rights Act was an act that tried to make the right to vote for African American citizens less difficult to obtain and exercise. It is one of the most controversial and extreme forms of Civil Rights Legislation this country has seen.
