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Brown vs. Board of Educationf
Brown v. Board of Education was a landmark Supreme Court case that challenged the legality of racial segregation in public schools. The case began when Oliver Brown, the father of a young Black girl named Linda Brown, sued the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. He argued that it was unfair and unconstitutional for his daughter to attend a segregated school far from home when a white school was much closer. -
Emmett Till Murder
The Emmett Till murder was a tragic and pivotal event in the history of the American Civil Rights Movement. In 1955, Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy from Chicago, traveled to Mississippi to visit relatives. He was accused of whistling at a white woman named Carolyn Bryant in a grocery store. Her husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother, J.W. Milam, abducted Emmett from his great-uncle’s home. They brutally beat and murdered him, then dumped his body into the Tallahatchie River. -
Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott marked a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks, a Black seamstress and civil rights activist, refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus. Civil rights leaders, a young Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott.Thousands of African Americans refused to ride the city buses, choosing instead to walk, carpool, or find other ways to get around. -
The Little Rock Nine and Integration
The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine African American students who, in 1957, integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, following the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education, ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Although the law now supported integration, many states in the South resisted change. In Arkansas, Governor Orval Faubus called in the National Guard to block the students from entering the school, directly defying federal law. -
Greensboro Woolworth's Sit-ins
In 1960, four African American college students from North Carolina AT State University began a peaceful protest against segregation by sitting at a "whites-only" lunch counter at a Woolworth's store in Greensboro, North Carolina. When they were denied service, they refused to leave. This act of nonviolent resistance inspired similar sit-ins across the South, becoming a key moment in the Civil Rights Movement. -
Freedom Rides
The Freedom Rides were a series of civil rights protests in 1961, where interracial groups rode buses through the segregated South to challenge the non-enforcement of Supreme Court rulings that banned segregation in interstate travel. Organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Freedom Riders faced violent attacks and arrests, especially in places like Alabama and Mississippi. -
MLK’s Letter From Birmingham Jail
In Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. defends his use of nonviolent civil disobedience. He argues that waiting for justice is no longer an option for African Americans, and that unjust laws must be challenged. King urges white moderates to take stronger action against racism and segregation. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place on August 28, 1963. It was a massive rally in Washington, D.C., where over 250,000 people gathered to demand racial equality and economic justice. The event is best known for Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic "I Have a Dream" speech, advocating for an end to racism and the implementation of civil rights laws. It helped push the U.S. government to pass significant civil rights legislation, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
Birmingham Baptist Church Bombing
The Birmingham Baptist Church bombing occurred on September 15, 1963, when a bomb exploded at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Four members of the Ku Klux Klan planted the bomb, killing four African American girls: Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley. The bombing was a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement, sparking national outrage and increasing support for civil rights reforms. -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment, ratified on January 23, 1964, abolished the poll tax in federal elections. Poll taxes were fees that citizens had to pay in order to vote, which disproportionately affected African Americans and poor white voters, especially in the South. The amendment ensured that the right to vote could not be denied based on a citizen's inability to pay such a tax, helping to strengthen voting rights and promote greater political participation. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark law that banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It ended segregation in public places and required equal access to employment and education. It was a major victory for the civil rights movement and helped enforce the constitutional right to equality. -
“Bloody Sunday”/Selma to Montgomery March
“Bloody Sunday” happened on March 7, 1965, when civil rights marchers in Selma, Alabama, were attacked by police as they tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. They were marching to demand voting rights. The violence shocked the nation and helped lead to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 banned racial discrimination in voting. It outlawed literacy tests and gave the federal government power to oversee elections in areas with a history of voter suppression. It was a major win for the civil rights movement. -
Loving v. Virginia
Loving v. Virginia was a Supreme Court case that struck down state laws banning interracial marriage. The case began when Richard and Mildred Loving, a white man and Black woman, were arrested for marrying in Virginia. The Court ruled that laws prohibiting interracial marriage violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, making such bans unconstitutional across the U.S.