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Brown Vs. Board of Education
The Supreme Court rules that segregation in schools is unconstitutional which over turned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896, which allowed state-sponsored segregation. -
Rosa Parks is Arrested
Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give up her seat which initiates the Montgomery Bus Boycott -
Freedom Riders
Volunteers known as the the "Freedom Riders" travel around the south by bus in hopes of desegregating bus terminals. -
March on Washington
More than 200,000 people gather in Washington, DC for a political rally. Martin Luther King Jr. gives his "I have a dream" speech. -
Assassination of JFK
JFK, a civil rights supporter, was assassinated during a parade in Dallas, TX. -
Civil Rights Act
President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The act also prohibited unequal application of voter registration requirements, racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations. -
Selma to Montgomery marches
A group of blacks that were marching from Selma to Montgomery to support civil rights were stopped and attacked by police. This day became known as the Bloody Sunday. -
Voting Rights Act
President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote. -
Thurgood Marshall appointed to Supreme Court
President Johnson nominated Marshall to the Supreme Court following the retirement of Justice Tom C. Clark. He was the 96th person to hold the position, and the first African American. Marshall was a well known lawyer that helped to win Brown vs. Board of Education. -
Martin Luther King Jr. Is assassinated
King was assassinated due to his prominence in the Civil Rights Movement. His assassin was known as James Earl Ray; however, the King's feel James was a scapegoat to the U.S. Government.