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Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a U.S Supreme Court ruling that said that segregation laws were constitutional. The court claimed that it was allowed if facilities were "separate but equal". Ultimately, this uphold the Jim Crow laws that were around at the time. -
Tulsa Massacre
The Tulsa Massacre was a racially motivated event that involved supremacists wrecking havoc on Tulsa's Greenwood District. The massacre lasted two days, and the racists burned down stores and homes that belonged to the black community. The official number of casualties is still unknown to this day. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education was a U.S Supreme Court Ruling that reversed the notorious Plessy v. Ferguson court ruling. It was reversed because the "separate but equal" thing was deemed unconstitutional. This court case built the path towards desegregation of blacks. -
Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was a young boy who was from Chicago who went to visit family in Mississippi. While he was there, he whistled at a white lady in a grocery store, and she was very offended. Not too long after that, he was taken away by the lady's husband and brother-in-law. They beat him and ended his life. -
Rosa Parks and the Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks started this by not moving to the back of the bus when she was told to do so. The front was for the whites, and the back was for everyone else. She was arrested when she refused to move back. This led to the bus boycotts, and the black community boycotted the buses for 382 days. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
The SCLC was founded on January 10 of 1957. This was an organization that fought for civil rights. Dr. King was one of the founders along with others. This group also set up peaceful protests around the south and deep south. -
Little Rock 9
The Little Rock 9 were the first black students that were able to attend Little Rock High School. Unfortunately, once they reached the doors of the school, they were turned around by Arkansas' National Guard. President Eisenhower had to get involved by sending his own people to enforce Brown v. Board of Education so that the students could get inside the school. -
Greensboro Sit ins
The Greensboro Sit ins were a series of peaceful protests that involved black people sitting at white restaurants. When they sat down, they were told that the restaurant would only serve white customers. They would then continue to stay in the seats, and they refused to give them up. -
Selma to Montgomery Marches (Bloody Sunday)
The march was 54 miles long, and people joined this march because they wanted to protest the unfair voting tests that African Americans had to take. They were confronted by Alabama State Patrol officers who later attacked the people in the march. This event, also known as Bloody Sunday, gained national attention. -
Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges was the first black child that attended an all whites school. She had to be escorted to the school by federal marshals. Pro segregation people and protesters were highly against ruby attending the school, and they gathered around the school to protest. -
Freedom Riders
The Freedom Riders were activists that traveled around the country advocating for civil rights. One notable event that happened with them was when they took 13 buses from the country's capital to New Orleans to protest. They faced issues with law enforcement at times, and it sometimes resulted in jail time. -
March on Washington
This took place at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, and over 250,000 people attended this event. This was where Luther gave his iconic "I Have A Dream" speech. The reason this took place was to advocate for civil rights. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This is an act that banned the discrimination of physical and personal characteristics. President Johnson invited Martin Luther King so that he would see him sign the act into law. Basically, this made segregation illegal. -
Assassination of Malcom X
On February 21, 1965, he was preparing to give a speech in Manhattan. While he was doing that, someone in the crowd ran up to X and shot him with a shotgun. He died that same day. At the time, Malcolm was already aware that the Nation of Islam was out to get him. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act was passed so that racial discrimination at the polls was illegal. President Johnson enacted this into law on August 8th of 1965. This act is seen as one of the most important in U.S History. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
On April 4, 1968, Luther was staying at a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was hanging out near the balcony of his room when suddenly he was shot by James Earl Ray. He was in critical condition and he died that same day.