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Plessy vs. Ferguson Decision
In a seven-to-one majority ruling, this decision gave constitutional sanction to laws designed to achieve racial segregation by means of separate and supposedly equal public facilities/services for African Americans and whites; "separate but equal". This was the first major inquiry of the 14th Amendment's equal-protection clause. The decision of the Plessy vs. Ferguson case served as a precedent until it was overturned in 1954. -
Brown vs. Board of Education Decision
The Brown vs. Board of Education case was filed against the Topeka, Kansas school board by Oliver Brown, parent of one of the children denied access to Topeka's white schools. The inequalities of segregation deprived black students of equal protection under the law which violated the 14th Amendment. The Supreme Court declared that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal," overturning the Plessy vs. Ferguson decision. The decision helped break state-sponsored segregation. -
The Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was a 14 year old African American boy. After being accused of whistling at a white woman, he was kidnapped, beat, and shot by two white men. The two men were acquitted at the murder trial, and the woman eventually stated that she had lied about the accusation. Emmett's mother insisted on a public, open casket funeral for her son which provided a catalyst for the emerging civil rights movement. -
Rosa Parks' Arrest
Rosa Parks was a black seamstress and member of Montgomery, Alabama NAACP. She refused to give up her seat to a white man on a city bus on December 1, 1955 and was arrested. Rosa said she was "tired of giving in." On December 5, Rosa was found guilty of violating segregation laws, given a suspended sentence and fined $10 plus $4 in court costs. Her arrest inspired the African Americans to protest, resulting in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. -
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Montgomery Bus Boycott
The African Americans of Montgomery would boycott the city buses on the day of Rosa Parks’ trial, December 5. President Nixon and some ministers took advantage of the momentum, forming the Montgomery Improvement Association to manage the boycott, and they elected Martin Luther King Jr as the MIA president. On November 13, 1956, the Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional, and the boycott ended December 20, a day after the Court’s written order arrived in Montgomery. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
President Eisenhower signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1957. The Act marked the first occasion since Reconstruction that the federal government undertook significant legislative action to protect civil rights. It established the Civil Rights Division in the Justice Department, empowered federal officials to prosecute individuals that conspire to deny another citizen's right to vote, and created the U.S. Civil Rights Commission charged with investigating allegations of voter infringement. -
Little Rock Nine
The desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, gained national attention on September 3, 1957, when Governor Faubus mobilized the Arkansas National Guard in an effort to prevent nine African American students from integrating the high school. President Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas National Guard, removing the Guard from Faubus' control, and ordered one thousand troops to oversee the integration. The Little Rock Nine entered the Central High School on September 15. -
March on Washington
Plans for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom began in 1962 when A. Philip Randolph put forth the idea of a mass gathering in Washington, D.C. Randolph persuaded President John F. Kennedy to endorse the demonstration. On August 28, 1963, a crowd of 250,000 people, including nearly 450 members of Congress, gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to listen to the day's performances and speeches. Martin Luther King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson just a few hours after House approval on July 2, 1964. The act outlawed segregation in businesses such as theaters, restaurants, and hotels. It banned discriminatory practices in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, and ended segregation in public places such as swimming pools, libraries, and public schools. -
MLK, Jr's Nobel Peace Prize
Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his dynamic leadership of the Civil Rights movement and commitment to achieving racial justice through nonviolent action, and accepted the award on December 10, 1964 in Oslo, Norway on behalf of the Civil Rights movement. At the age of thirty-five, King became the the youngest man, and only the second African American, to receive the prestigious award.
