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The Montgomery Bus Boycott
J. Fred Blake, a white bus driver, demanded Rosa Parks to give up her seat, she was sitting in the colored section. Parks refused to give it up which led to her arrest. E.D. Nixon, a black leader, would eventually help Parks bail out. 40,000 African-Americans and NAACP members participated in a bus boycott. This boycott continued under MLK's control for a year. Nine months before Parks' incident, 15-year old Claduette Colvin was arrested for the same act, she was also found pregnant. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
On this day, Attorney General Herbret Brownell proposed a law that would be eventually signed into the Civil Rights Act of 1957 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This Act went into effect and undertook significant legislative action to protect civil rights. This also caused the establishment of the Civil RIghts Division in the Justice Department as well as a federal Civil Rights Comission. Eisenhower was not known for his support of the Civil Rights Movement prior to signing the Act. -
The Little Rock 9
Nine African-American children faced segregation as they attended Central High School. They saw many white and students defying the segregation law that was outlawed in the Brown v. BOE case. The Little Rock 9 had set out to achieve an appropiate and equal education for every student from both races. President Eisenhower noticed The Little Rock 9's goal, he decided to help them out. Since 1999, The Little Rock 9 have been often rewarded for providing finanical support to unprivilaged students. -
The Sit-in Movement
The African-Americans had set up a new tactic that would help the them create a strategy. Four black college students went to a whites only lunch counter and ordered coffee. Although they were intimidated by other whites and they wouldn't be served. Martin Luther King Jr. invited the SNCC to discuss other strategies. They continued the protest in many other white lunch counters. The former Woolworth's now houses the International Civil Rights Center and Museum. -
The Freedom Riders
Thirteen African-Americans launched the Freedom Rides which was a series a bus trips through the American South to protest segregation in interstate bus terminals. The Freedom Riders were recruited by the C.O.R.E which stood for Congress of Racial Equality. They were a U.S. civil rights group who departed Washington D.C. African-American Freedom Riders would attempt to utilize whites only bathrooms and lunch counters. John Lewis, a Freedom Rider member was elected to the U.S. HOR in 1986. -
James Meredith and the Desegregtion of the University of Mississippi
James Meredith applied to the University of Mississippi countless times. He finally got the help of the NAACP and filed a lawsuit against the university that regarding racial discrimination. Eventually, he enrolled into the university on October 1st, 1962 followed by riots at Ole Miss campus with hundereds wounded and arrested as well as two dead. In 1972, Meredith stood unsuccessfully as a Republican candidate for the U.S. H.O.R. -
Protests in Birmingham
There would be a series of actions such as blacks sitting in white lunch counters, marches on City Hall, and boycotts on downtown merchants to protest segregation laws in the city. These protests would eventually led to violent attacks from both the blacks and whites. President JFK noticed how the African-Americans struggled for equality. This began with MLK Jr. being arrested during anti-segregation protests. Other whites and even the President critcized MLK for using children in protests. -
March On Washington
More than 200,000 Americans have gathered for a political rally in Washington, D.C. MLK Jr. stated his "I Have A Dream" speech that was a call for racial equality and justice. The march was proposed back in 1941 by A. Philip Randolph while during the 1940's, blacks had issues with the New Deal programs. President FDR took little consideration to solve this issue. JFK had also showed little support for the march. The MOW featured speeches from John Lewis and Mahalia Jackson in addition to MLK Jr. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This Act ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, or national origin. This was first proposed by President JFK and it was eventually signed into law by his successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, despite it successfully went through strong opposition from white southerners. Both races were allowed to go into parks, bars, restaurants, etc and the Act had banned any form of racism. Johnson signed the Act with at least 75 pens. -
The Selma March
MLK Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference focused on its efforts to register black voters in the South, their goal was to raise awareness in the difficulty that black voters in the South faced. By doing this, they marched to Montgomery. Protestors went through resistance to reach Montgomery. MLK and the SCLC walked to the South for three days, they also helped the black southern voters gain confidence. Ralph Bunche, a 1950 nobel peace prize winner, participated in MLK's Selma march. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This Act was signed into law by President LBJ. Its goal was to overcome barriers that prevented African Americans their right to vote under the 15th Amendment of the U.S. Consititution. Months prior to the signing of the Voting Rights Act, it gained a 77-19 vote. Johnson had signed the law with MLK Jr. and other civil rights leaders. This Act had banned literacy tests. The Act's second purpose was to protect voting rights. In the same year, there were six black members of the U.S. HOR. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
On this day, after MLK Jr. had given a speech at Mason Church Temple in Memphis, at 6 P.M., a sniper bullet penetrated his neck. He was pronounced dead at a hospital at age 39. His killer was James Earl Ray and was faced to spend 99 years in person. Ray thought the intergation policies swept America away. MLK Jr. was forever remembered by his efforts and his iconic speech. His aid, Jesse Jackson, became a minister after the King's death and formed the PUSH (People United to Save Humanity).
