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13th Amendment
Slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crimes, outlawed in all lands controlled by the US government. Effectively ended slavery in all US states and territories, except in Native American territories where new treaties had to be signed ending slavery formally in 1866. -
14th Amendment
Rights of citizenship, due process of law, and equal protection of the law. The 14th amendment has become one of the most used amendments in court to date regarding the equal protection clause. -
15th Amendment
The right to vote will not be denied due to race, skin color, or precious service. Gave freed slaves constitutional rights to vote; however, this was often combated by having voting fees or reading tests that African Americans could not afford or do. Native Americans didn’t enjoy this benefit until the Snyder Act of 1924 giving them full US citizenship and women didn’t enjoy this right until the 19th amendment in 1920 giving all women the right to vote. -
Plessy v Ferguson
Homer Plessy, persuaded by the Comite des Citoyens and railroad company, rode the Press Street Depot in the white only cars as a legal black in order to be arrested and bring into contention Louisiana’s Separate Car Act. Eventually, his case reached the Supreme Court where they ruled that the Act did not infringe on the 14th amendment and that “separate but equal” was an OK arrangement. This led almost immediately to states instigating separate, primarily inferior facilities for blacks only. -
19th Amendment
The right to vote will not be denied based on sex. This still left Native American women unable to vote on account of them not being full US citizens until the Snyder Act of 1924; however, this effectively gave women the right of the vote while also including people who identified as neither a man or a woman. -
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Proposed
Firsted introduced by Alice Paul on the 75th anniversary of the 1848 Women's Rights Convention, it stated that men and women would have equal rights in all United States controlled lands. This would not come to pass due to the labor movements commitment to workplace laws, some of which disenfranchised women, and social conservatives fearing its effects on the social hierarchy. This would come to be the main point of contention during the women’s rights movement of the 1960s. -
Executive Order 9981
Abolished discrimination of any kind in the US armed forces. While it ended segregation for all, including Native Americans and Chicanos, it mainly dealt with the segregation of black and white soldiers in the armed forces as this was the main thing this executive order was trying to end. This was a significant win for the civil rights movement as it abolished segregation in one important part of American society. -
Brown v Board of Education
This case included a lot of cases from many different states, the originator and most famous of which being Oliver Brown’s daughter in Topeka, Kansas, where public schools were segregated based on race. This ruled that “separate but equal” was inefficient and segregation of schools and public facilities was unconstitutional. This meant that segregation in most areas was now illegal and paving the way for integration. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Following Rosa Parks' arrest after having not given up her seat to a white passenger, the black community of Montgomery, Alabama began a boycott of the buses led by Martin Luther King Jr.. Eventually a lawsuit was filed asking for an end to segregated busing in the city that made it up to the Supreme Court who ruled that the buses were to be outlawed. This marked the first mass protest for civil rights and propelled Martin Luther King Jr. as a leader of the civil rights movement. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
Established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice department to prosecute interference with the right to vote and the federal Civil Rights Commission to investigate discriminatory conditions, but was severely weakened due to lack of Democrat support. This was the first civil rights legislation since Reconstruction and set the framework for all later ones. -
Little Rock Nine
Following desegregation of schools in Brown v Board of Education, the city of Little Rock, Arkansas decided to roll out a plan to integrate its schools, starting with Central High which turned out to be problematic. It took Dwight D. Eisenhower to send national troops to escort the 9 high schoolers for them to be able to attend the school. This gave national attention to the civil rights movement as the Little Rock controversy made news across the country. -
Chicano Movement (Mural Movement)
Started in the 1960’s by Chicanos fed up with being not allowed to assimilate in American society, they decided to embrace to their heritage. They fought for farmworkers’ rights, land reclamation, education reform, and much more through strikes and protests. They also fought through culture, including painting murals and embracing Aztlan as a spiritual homeland. In the end, they were able to obtain the creation of bilingual bicultural programs, improved migrant worker conditions, and more. -
Dr. King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"
Following being jailed for breaking an ordinance prohibiting public gathering without official permit, King got a letter from religious leaders in Birmingham, Alabama admonishing him for the actions he and his movement were doing in the city. King wrote “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” as a rebuttal. Following this letter's publication, the civil rights movement was rejuvenated with Kennedy finally forced to work on passing a Civil Rights Act through Congress. -
March on Washington "I have a Dream" Speech
A part of the March on Washington for jobs and Freedom, this was the last speech in a line of speeches on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. In this speech, King talked about how America had failed African Americans but that they should still return home to wait for change. This speech would be remembered as the highlight of the march and serve as the spearhead for the civil rights movement, remembered as the movement’s most signature moment. -
24th Amendment
The right of vote shall not be denied due to being unable to pay some form of tax. This outlawed poll taxes from being a deciding factor in whether someone could vote, opening the vote for more Americans. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It would later be added that discrimination would also not be on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. This was a landmark case for the civil rights movement as discrimination was officially outlawed across America, but it also helped groups such as Native Americans, women, and Chicanos as the provision were meant to include everyone. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Banned the use of literacy tests for the vote and gave the government oversight over voter registration in areas with lower than 50% non-white voter registration. This act was the nail in the coffin, allowing more African Americans the ability to vote than ever before and ending nearly all practices meant to stop African American voter turnout. This also helped Native Americans and Chicanos that may have also been unduly discriminated against with literacy tests. -
Cesar Chavez (Delano Grape Strike)
Born in 1927. In 1962, he founded the National Farm Workers Association, later renamed United Farm Workers, with Dolores Huerta. Cesar used non violent means, including boycotts, pickets, and strikes, in order to meet his demands with his first major victory being the Delano grape strike where he got the state to allow farm workers unions to organize and reach agreements for workers' rights. His contributions lead to the empowerment of Chicano’s as they fought for their rights. -
MLK Assassination
Martin Luther King Jr. was shot on April 4 at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee by James Earl Ray, a convicted felon. Following his death mass riots filled American cities and many Americans came to Atlanta, Georgia to see him rest. James Earl Ray would eventually be detained and tried where he pleaded guilty to the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. His lasting legacy being his achievements as leader of the civil rights movement. -
American Indian Movement (AIM)
They first gained national headlines occupying the Bureau of Indian Affairs to demand government fulfillment of treaty commitments which was met by the Nixon administration. Following this, they joined the Lakota people to occupy Wounded Knee and fight off the US government. They’re final major act came in 1978 when the Longest Walk from San Francisco to Washington D.C. began. This ended in the defeat of anti-Native Americans bills and the passing of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act.
