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Brown v. Board of Education
African American students were denied the right to go to the same school as white children. They ruled unanimously in favor of Brown. This case was important because it banned segregation in schools this was also the start of the Civil Rights movement. -
Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy, was murdered after flirting with a white woman while visiting family in Money, Mississippi. His death encouraged thousands to join the civil rights movement. -
Rosa Parks and the Bus Boycott of Montgomery
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a protest that lasted a year. During the boycott, African Americans refused to ride the bus. It began when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. This protest became one of the most notable beginnings of the civil rights movement. -
Little Rock Nine and Integration
The Little Rock Nine were a group of African American students who enrolled at Little Rock Central Highschool, a formerly all-white school. On the first day, they were refused entry by Governor Orvel Faubus, who had called the AR national guard to stop them. They ended up being escorted in by federal troops, which pushed integration. -
Greensboro Woolworth's sit-ins
The Greensboro sit-in was a nonviolent protest against segregated counters. Its success led to more sit-in movements. -
Freedom Rides
The Freedom Riders were a group of African American and white civil rights activists who took part in bus trips through the American South, Freedom Rides, in 1961. These trips were to protest against segregation on buses. They were confronted with arrests from police officers and violence from white protesters. They drew a lot of attention to the civil rights movement, nationally. -
Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail
This is a letter written by MLK while imprisoned after a peaceful protest. In it, King responds to a statement published in the newspaper, calling the protests "unwise and untimely". This letter served as a reproducible account of the long road to freedom -
March On Washington
The March on Washington was a massive protest the aimed to draw attention to the inequalities that African American people had to face. In it, thousands gathered in front of the Lincon Memorial. The was also when Martin Luther King Jr gave his famous "I Have A Dream" speech. This was one of the largest protests of the civil rights movement. -
Birmingham Baptist Church Boming
The bombing was done by white supremacists and it killed 4 and injured around 20. This was described as one of the most tragic and vicious attacks during the civil rights movement. -
24th Amendment
The 24th amendment got rid of poll taxes which was a form of voter discrimination. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination of race, sex, religion, color, and national origin. This was, quite obviously, a very big deal. -
"Bloody Sunday"-The march from Selma to Montgomery
Many civil rights, marchers headed east out of Selma. They didn't get far before they were attacked by state and local law enforcement, using billy clubs and tear gas. This was significant because it became a landmark event in civil rights history. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Outlawed discriminatory voting practices which were present in many southern states. -
Loving v. Virginia
A married couple, Mildred Jeter, a black woman, and Richard Loving, a white man, were arrested in Virginia because of a law that banned inter-racial marriage. The couple was sent to jail for 1 year. The case went to the Supreme Court and they ruled unanimously in favor of Loving. This ruling made inter-racial marriage legal.