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Plessy v. Ferguson - May 18, 1896
This Supreme Court Case occurred in 1896 and ruled that it was constitutional to have "separate but equal" facilities for blacks and whites. -
Formation of NAACP - Feb. 12 1909
The NAACP was formed because of the practice of lynching the blacks and the 1908 race riot. Their goal was to secure the rights of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment for everybody. -
Brown v BOE of Topeka - May 17, 1954
The Supreme Court declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional and declared "separate" educational facilities were inherently unequal. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott - December 5, 1955
This boycott started when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person on a bus in Montgomery. African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery to protest segregated seating. -
Formation of SCLC - January 10, 1957
This was the Southern Christian Leadership Conference founded by MLK and taught that civil rights could be achieved through nonviolent protests. -
Integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas - September 3, 1957
Nine blacks attempted to attend the all white school, Central High School, and the Governor of Arkansas mobilized the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the students from entering the school. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
This was the first federal civil rights legislation passed by the US congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. This established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote. -
Greensboro Sit-In - Feb 1 1960
Four African Americans sat down at a lunch counter at Woolworth's in Greensboro and they politely asked for service. Their request was refused and when they were asked to leave, they didn't. -
Formation of SNCC - April 1960
This was the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee founded by young black adults seeking change immediately. -
Boynton v. Virginia - 1960
Supreme Court ruling that overturned a judgment convicting an African American law student for trespassing by being in a restaurant in a bus terminal which was whites only. -
Malcolm X leads the Nation of Islam
After Malcolm was released from prison, he helped to lead the Nation of Islam during the period of its greatest growth and influence. -
First Freedom Ride - May 4, 1961
Started in DC and went through Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and ending in Louisiana. Their goal was to end segregation on the buses. -
James Meredith enrolls in Ole Miss - September 1962
After a legal battle, an African American, James Meredith, attempted to enroll at Ole Miss. Riots broke out and two people ended up dying. 31000 National Guardsmen and other federal forces were sent to enforce order. -
Birmingham Protests - 1963
This protest was organized by the SCLC to bring attention to the integration effects of African Americans in Birmingham Alabama. This eventually led the municipal government to change the city's discrimination laws, -
March on Washington - August 28 1963
More than 200,000 Americans gathered in Washington DC to shed light on the political and social challenges African Americans continued to face across the country. -
24th Amendment Passed - Jan 23, 1964
This amendment prohibited poll taxes and the right to vote cannot be denied based on the paying or non-paying of a poll tax. -
Freedom Summer - 1964
This was an organized voter registration drive in order to increase voter registration in Mississippi. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This was an US labor law that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin -
Malcolm X Assassination - Feb. 21, 1965
Malcolm X was assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in the Washington Heights. -
Selma March - 1965
The SCLC wanted to march from Selma to Montgomery and get more African Americans to register to vote. They were met with violent resistance but they reached their goal of reaching Montgomery and it helped raise awareness of the difficulty faced by black voters in the south. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states including literacy tests. -
Black Panthers founded - Oct. 15, 1966
This was an organization that promoted Black power and self defense through acts of social agitation. -
MLK Jr. Assassinated - April 4, 1968
MLK Jr. was assassinated in Memphis Tennessee. His assassination led to an outpouring of anger among black Americans as well as a period of national mourning. -
Civil Rights Act of 1968
This act defines housing discrimination as the refusal to sell or rent a dwelling to any person because of race, color, religion, or national origin. -
Robert F. Kennedy Assassinated - June 5, 1968
He was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in LA. He was perceived as the only person capable of uniting the people. He was devoted to the civil rights cause.
