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14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified. The amendment grants citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States" which included former slaves who had just been freed after the Civil War. -
Ban Racial Voting Discrimination
The 15th Amendment, granting African-American men the right to vote, was adopted into the U.S. Constitution in 1870. -
Separate but Equal
The U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the racist policy of segregation by legalizing “separate but equal” facilities for blacks and whites. -
Founding of NAACP
The founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). -
Ku Klux Klan Washington March
In its first national demonstration the Ku Klux Klan marches on Washington, D.C. -
Outlaw of Segregation in Military
President Truman issues an executive order outlawing segregation in the U.S. Military -
Overturn "Separate but Equal"
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimous decision that overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine in public schools. -
Emmett Till Murder
Emmett Till was murdered in Money, Mississippi. -
Rosa Parks Arrested
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery City Bus and was arrested. -
Bus Boycott in Montgomery
The Montgomery Bus Boycott begins. -
Little Rock 9 Attend School
The Little Rock 9 enter Central High School as federal troops oversee the situation sent by President Eisenhower. -
Protest in Woolworth's Store
4 black college students sat at an all-white lunch counter and started a sit-in protest at a Woolworth’s store. -
Freedom Riders Protest
Freedom riders begin a bus ride through the South to protest segregation. -
University of Mississippi Riots
President Kennedy sends federal troops to the University of Mississippi to end riots so that James Meredith, the school's first black student, can attend. -
Martin Luther King Jr. Arrested
Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham protesting in the “most segregated city in America.” -
Civil Rights March in Washington
More than 250,000 people, march on Washington to demand immediate passage of the civil rights bill. -
"I have a Dream"
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech to hundreds of thousands at the March on Washington, D.C. -
Alabama Church Bombing
A bomb exploded before Sunday morning services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama—a church with a predominantly black congregation that also served as a meeting place for civil rights leaders. Four young girls were killed and many other people injured. -
President Johnson Signs Civil Rights Law
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the premier legislation for Civil Rights into law. -
March for Voting Rights
A march from Selma to Montgomery to fight for voting rights begins. -
Voting Rights Act
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law outlawing literacy tests. -
Black Power Political Group
Huey Newton & Bobby Seale founded the “Black Power” political group known as the Black Panthers. -
Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis. -
Thurgood Marshall named to Supreme Court
Thurgood Marshall becomes the first black to be named to the Supreme Court -
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - Holiday
President Ronald Reagan signed a bill making the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a federal holiday.
