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Brown v. Board of Education
Linda Brown isn’t allowed to go to school with white kids. Her father, Oliver Brown, goes to the NAACP. It goes to the Supreme Court and the court rules 9-0 to overturn the separate but equal doctrine. -
Emmet Till Murder
A black 14 year old boy named Emmet Till was accused of whistling at a white woman. The woman’s husband and his half brother kidnapped Emmet and tortured him. He was brutally beaten, his eye was missing, his ear was cut off, he had teeth missing, he had barbed wire wrapped around his neck, he had a 75lb fan attached, and he was thrown into the river. The murderers were tried and found not guilty. -
Rosa Parks/ Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks refuses to move seats for a white man and is arrested. She was fined $10. Flyers were sent out and posted everywhere, and the community decided to boycott the busses. The busses ran empty for over a year. The Supreme Court ruled that busses had to let blacks ride wherever on the bus. -
SCLC
A group of black church pastors who hosted events for blacks. MLK was elected president. This group was nonviolent, it registered blacks to vote, wanted better jobs for blacks, and opposed the Vietnam war. -
Little Rock 9
9 black students wanted to go to a white school. The Governor of Arkansas calls the national guard to stop them. President Eisenhower calls 1,200 military men to escort these 9 kids from home to class. All schools were fully integrated by 1959. -
Greensboro Sitins
4 college students go to woolworths to buy stuff and sit at the lunch counter. They’re refused service and told to leave, but refused to move. Day after day they’d go and sit at the lunch counter, more people going each day. Woolworths lost $1.8 million so they decided to serve the black community. -
Freedom Riders
A diverse group of volunteers from 39 states, it’s were college students. In Anniston, Alabama, they were blocked by the KKK, their tires were slashed, they were fire bombed, the bus was burned and the riders were beaten, town after town. -
March on Washington
250,000 people marched in Washington, D.C. It was a peaceful and respectful protest for jobs and freedom. MLK was the last speaker of the day and gave his “I have a dream” speech. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Enabled the federal government to prevent racial discrimination based on race, religion, or national origin in private businesses or public facilities. -
Malcom X
Civil rights leader who was part of the Nation of Islam. He wanted blacks to be proud of who they are and believe in themselves. He was shot 21 times. Thomas Hagan was convicted for the murder. -
Selma
Black marchers wanted to walk 54 miles to Montgomery to register to vote. They were met by troopers at Edmond bride and were badly beaten. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Enabled the right to vote for African Americans. It was now a federal matter, not state. -
Martin Luther King Jr
Striking sanitation workers protest in Memphis. MLK goes back to the motel and gets shot in his face by a rifle. James Earl Ray was sentenced to 99 years. MLK’s marks the end of the Civil Rights Movement.