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Plessy V. Ferguson
Homer Plessy was removed from a train car on the grounds that he violated the policy which separated said cars by race. He went to court and it was decided by the supreme court that segregation was not illegal. -
De Jure vs De Facto segregation
Legal segregation (De facto) and social segregation (De jure) -
Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka
A court case in which segregated schools were declared unconstitutional. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a response to the arrest of Rosa Parks, a black women who refused to give up her seat at the front of a bus so a white passenger could sit there instead. Civil rights activists would walk or carpool to work instead of taking buses for several weeks until they were desegregated. -
Little Rock School Intergration
Nine African American students enroll in the all white Little Rock High school. After initial resistance by the school and local government, federal troops were sent in to ensure that the school was desegregated. -
The Sit-Ins
Black students hold sit-ins in and around restaurants of college towns all across the south. A sit-in is a form of protest where activist will occupy a space around an establishment. -
Freedom Rides
Civil rights activist take interstate buses in to southern states in order to protest the poor enforcement of desegregation on public transport. -
March On Washington
Over 200,000 people participate in a march to Washington in order to bring to attention the inherent inequality of racism and segregation. Here MLK gave his "I have a dream" speech in which he called for an end of racism. -
March On Birmingham, Alabama
A march organized by civil rights leader Martin Luther King jr in the city of Birmingham which led to a change in it's discrimination laws. The march is known for the unnecessary excessive use of force by the civic authorities. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Discrimination based on race, color, or religion in both public and private services is outlawed. -
Race Riots
A series of riot brake out in 1964 after the shooting of James Powell, a 15 year old black boy who was shot by an off duty white cop. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Racial discrimination in voting registration is declared illegal. -
March From Selma
A march that took place 1965, starting from the town of Selma in Alabama to the state capital of Montgomery. The purpose of the march was to highlight intentionally discriminatory voting practices.
