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Plessy vs. Ferguson
The U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the racist policy of segregation by legalizing “separate but equal” facilities for blacks and whites -
NAACP Founded
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded by a group of activists in New York -
Brown vs. Board of Education
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimous decision that overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine in public schools. -
Emmitt Till
Emmett Till was murdered in Money, Mississippi. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery City Bus and was arrested. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott begins -
The Little Rock 9
The Little Rock 9 enter Central High School as federal troops oversee the situation sent by President Eisenhower. -
Store Protest
4 black college students sat at an all-white lunch counter and started a sit-in protest at a Woolworth’s store. -
Ruby Bridges Escorted to School
Six year old Ruby Bridges was escorted to her first day at the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans by four armed federal marshals -
Freedom Riders
Freedom riders begin a bus ride through the South to protest segregation. -
James Meredith enrolled in Ole Miss
James Meredith becomes the first African American to enroll in the University of Mississippi -
March from Selma to Montgomery
A march from Selma to Montgomery to fight for voting rights begins. -
Martin Luther King Arrested
Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham protesting in the “most segregated city in America.” -
March on Washington
More than 250,000 people, march on Washington to demand immediate passage of the civil rights bill. -
Birmingham Church Bombing
A bomb planted in a church kills 4 little girls and fuels angry protesting. -
John F. Kennedy Assassination
John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas -
Poll Tax Abolished
The 24th Amendment abolished the poll tax that made it difficult for blacks to vote. -
Civil Rights Act
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the premier legislation for Civil Rights into law. -
Malcolm X Assassination
Civil Rights activist Malcolm X was assassinated while speaking in Manhattan. -
Voting Rights Act
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law outlawing literacy tests. -
Black Panthers Founded
Huey Newton & Bobby Seale founded the “Black Power” political group known as the Black Panthers. -
Robert Kennedy Assassination
Robert Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles while on his Campaign Trail -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1968
President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act. -
Last Known Lynching
The lynching of Michael Donald in Mobile, Alabama in 1981 was one of the last lynchings in the United States
