-
Brown vs. Board of Education
The supreme court ruled tha separating children by their race in the public school system is unconstitutional. This is unanimous under the 14th amendment. This took place in Topeka, Kansas. Multiple schools closed due to this decision. -
Murder of Emmett Till
The murder of 14 year old Emmett Till brough attention to the racial violence and injustice that was going on in Mississippi and practically anywhere else in the U.S. Till went to the Bryant store with his cousins where he was accused of whistling at Carolyn Bryant. Her husband and brother in law then kidnapped and brutally murdered Emmett Till. They then dumped his body in the Tallahatchie river. -
Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks helped initiate the civil rights movement in the U.S. when she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama. She was then put to jail and fined $10. This resulted in the Supreme Court ruling segregation on public buses unconstitutional. -
SCLC
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was a civil rights organization established in 1957. The goal of this organization was to redeem “the soul of America” by leading nonviolent resistance. It coordinated local protest groups through the south. -
Little Rock Nine & Central High School
The Little Rock nine was a group of nine black students who were enrolled at an all white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. This was a test from the Brown vs. Board of Education. All schools were closed in 1958, but later in the year they reopened. -
Greensboro Sit-In
The Greensboro sit-in was a civil rights protest. Young African American students staged a sit in at a segregated restaurant in Greensboro, North Carolina. They then refused to leave when they were denied service. This movement later spread to other towns in the south. -
SNCC
This committee coordinated youth-led nonviolent campaigns against segregation and racism. SNCC members played an important role in sit ins. This group was the second half of the freedome riders and were a part of the march to Selma. -
Freedom Riders
Freedom Riders were groups of white and black civil rights activists who participated in freedom rides. Freedom rides are bus trips through the south to protest segregated bus terminals. This groups was confronted by police officers and violence from white protesters. They attracted international attention to the civil rights movement. -
March on Washington
This was a massive protest march in which 250,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The goal of this event was to draw attention to the inequalities that are faced by African Americans. MLK’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech took place here. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The civil rights act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. This ended segregation in public places. It was first proposed by John F. Kennedy. -
Selma to Montgomery Marches (Bloody Sunday)
In an effort to register black voters in the south, protesters marched the 54 mile route from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery. They were then confronted with violence from white vigilante groups (KKK). -
Voting Rights Act
The voting rights act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. This act aimed to overcome legal barriers that prevented black people from excercising their right to vote.