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13th Amendment
The 13th amendment abolished slavery finally giving freedom to all African Americans. -
14th Amendment
The 14th amendment gave all US citizens rights guaranteed to them by the constitution despite their race or ethnic background. African Americans were finally beginning to be treated as people from a legal standpoint. -
15th Amendment
The 15th amendment gave voting rights to African Americans. All of these amendments were the first major steps towards equality for African Americans. -
Plessy v Ferguson
Plessy v Ferguson was a supreme court case that said the “separate but equal” law in Louisiana was constitutional allowing segregation to continue. It was started due to there being different railway cars for whites and blacks. -
NAACP created
The NAACP is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. It’s a civil rights organization that was created with the purpose of fighting against lynchings, segregation, and the overall better and equal treatment of African Americans. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote and took a step towards gender equality. -
Brown v Board of Education
Brown v Board of Education was a supreme court case which overturned the decision made in Plessy v Ferguson. It was decided that having separate schools for African Americans was unconstitutional. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a protest against the racial segregation on the busses in Montgomery, Alabama. The protest was caused by Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat and was one of the first large organized protests. -
Little Rock 9
The Little Rock 9 were the first African American students to be enrolled in a previously all-white high school located in Little Rock Arkansas. This was highly controversial as many Little Rock citizens did not approve, but it brought a large amount of attention to the Civil Rights movement on a large scale. -
SLCC formed
The SLCC is the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. This was a time when Southern preachers and ministers came together to protest segregation. -
SNCC formed
The SNCC is the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. This group was created in order to promote non-violent acts when it came to civil rights protests. They had a big part in the creation of sit-ins. -
Freedom Riders
Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who challenged Southern segregation by riding busses into these highly discriminatory areas. They consisted of both black and white people who believed in equality for all and showed the two races coming together. -
24th Amendment
The 24th amendment outlawed the requirement of paying a poll tax in order to vote in federal elections allowing more to use their voices. -
Cesar Chavez
Cesar Chavez was the founder of the United Farm Workers Organization Committee and was a Mexican-American migrant farm worker himself. He started the “boycott grapes” movement leading to the California grape industry bargaining rights for workers including limits on toxic fertilizers and better pay. He led to the workers no longer being exploited. -
March on Washington – “I have a Dream Speech”
The March on Washington included over 250,000 people marching in order to show their support for the Civil Rights bill. It also included Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I have a dream” speech where he describes his dream of equality and all of us living together in peace. -
Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
While he was imprisoned, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter telling people that they must continue to practice civil disobedience and not violence. He says that he thinks they must rely on words and actions in order to win their civil rights. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act outlawed the segregation of blacks and whites in public places. It also worked towards ended discrimination in the work place through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in addition to also allowing the federal government to combat disfranchisement. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act outlawed the discrimination that was occurring against certain voters, especially in the South. It ended having literacy tests as a requirement for voting. -
Black Panthers
The Black Panthers started the black power movement as they were focused on self defense along with violence against white people. They were founded by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton in Oakland, California. -
Thurgood Marshall appointed to Supreme Court
Thurgood Marshall was the first African American to ever be appointed to Supreme Court and was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. He fought for equality, desegregation, and everyone having civil rights. -
American Indian Movement founded
The American Indian Movement was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota with the purpose of stopping the discrimination and violence towards the Native American people by white police officers. This was extremely important as police officers are people who hold positions of power, they’re supposed to set the example and help citizens no matter their race or background. -
MLK assassinated
Martin Luther Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray leading to extreme violence going against MLK’s want for peaceful protests and harmony. His views on nonviolence and social justice still impact our society today.