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Plessy v. Ferguson
This court case was significant because it claimed that "separate but equal" public facilities were constitutional. Since this was ruled by the Supreme Court, these public facilities were affected everywhere. Plessy was a man that was 1/8th black and he lost the trial since he was black. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This was a Supreme Court case that declared the desegregation of the schools and overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling. They claimed that separate educational facilities, between blacks and whites, were unconstitutional and unequal. -
The Murder of Emmett Till
The murder of Emmett Till was a wake up call for America, after his mutilated face was posted on every newstand in America, this angered African Americans, but most of them stayed peaceful during their protests. They remained united and strong. They left the casket open in order for people to see what they did to him. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
After Rosa Parks, a member of the NAACP, decided to remain in her seat after being demanded by a white man to move, this resulted in the bus boycotts. The Montgomery Bus Boycotts were very significant because most of the people that rode the bus (40,000-50,000) were African Americans. This led to integration of the buses since many bus companies were losing money. -
Little Rock School Desegregation
The Little Rock nine was such a peaceful group, after integration of the schools was passed in 1954, the students were finally able to go to school in 1957. Although many white Americans were outraged and screamed death threats, the White House sent the National Guard in order to protect them. This showed that the kids were civil and simply wanted to go to school peacefully. -
Sit-ins in Greensboro/Nashville
Many African-Americans wanted to sit in the same restaurants as whites so they strategically planned "sit ins" in order to fight for these rights. After somebody was arrested, more people went in the restaurant to sit in as well. This was significant because this showed that they were trying to be as civil as possible. -
March on Birmingham
Many students got out of school in order to protest for the segregation in the city. The Alabama police came and sprayed African-Americans with fire hoses, they also released police dogs that were trained to attack. This shut down the city since many African-Americans refused to buy anything. This event was aired on television and made headlines all over the world. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington called for civil and economic rights for African American citizens. It was estimated that around 200,000 to 300,000 people went to march. Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis spoke as well. This was significant because after the march, an African-American church was bombed in Birmingham and killed four girls in the process. This made African-Americans angry but they simply accepted it and sang "we shall overcome." -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination against racial, ethnic, national and religious minorities, and women. This was significant because this is when full integration finally began to take place. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This Civil Rights act outlawed discrimination against African-Americans and the process of voting. This was signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson, who also signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
Martin Luther King Jr. is Assassinated
Martin Luther King Jr was staying in Memphis, Tennessee in order to support the African-American sanitation works. He was standing on the balcony at 6:01 and was assassinated. After Martin Luther King Jr. was shot he needed to have emergency heart surgery. He was later pronounced dead on April 4, 1968.
