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13th Amendment
This amendment ruled slavery or any involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime where the guilty was convicted in the court of law, is unconstitutional. In simpler terms, slavery was abolished and all slaves were now were free. President Abraham Lincoln ratified the amendment in 1865. -
14th Amendment
Rights of citizenship, due process of law, and equal protection of the law. The 14th amendment has become one of the most used amendments in court to date regarding the equal protection clause. Secretary of State William Seward released a proclamation certifying the ratification of the 14th Amendment. -
15th Amendment
This amendment granted that the right to vote shall not be denied by race or color. This meant that African Americans could now vote and be represented in the United States government. This amendment, however, only applied to men, for women still were not allowed to vote. Congress ratified the amendment in February of 1870. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
The Plessy v. Ferguson case originated when Homer Plessy refused to sit in a different car on a segregated train in Louisiana. He was arrested and once so, Plessy filed a petition against the presiding judge, John H. Ferguson, claiming that Plessy’s arrest was a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. As a result of the court case, racial segregation was deemed constitutional under the basis of “separate but equal”. -
NAACP
The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was created by W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, Mary White Ovington, and many others in New York City, NY. Their primary goals were to secure the political, educational, social, and the economic equality of rights for all people. The NAACP was founded partially in response to the ongoing violence targeting African Americans all over the country. -
19th Amendment
This amendment granted that the right to vote shall not be denied due to gender, meaning that women could now vote. This also meant that women now had a voice in the government and were better represented in the country. President Woodrow Wilson signed the amendment in August of 1920. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The public school district in Topeka, Kansas, refused to enroll Oliver Brown’s daughter due to her race, instead ordering her to enroll at another segregated school farther away. Brown filed a lawsuit, claiming that it’s segregation policy, the “separate but equal” law, determined 59 years prior in the Plessy v. Ferguson case, was unconstitutional. As a result of the court case, segregation of children in public schools was deemed unconstitutional. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
African Americans refused to ride segregated buses in Montgomery, Alabama. This protest originated from Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on a segregated bus, and from there the protest grew into the first large-scale demonstration against segregation. In the end, after a year of boycotting, the US Supreme Court ruled segregation on public buses unconstitutional. -
Little Rock 9
They were a group of nine African-Americans students (Thelma Mothershed, Minnijean Brown, Jefferson Thomas, Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls, Gloria Ray, Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, and Melba Pattillo) that integrated into Little Rock Central High School after the Brown v. Board case ruled segregated schools illegal. The students' enrollment led to the Little Rock Crisis, where Arkansas governor Orval Faubus attempted to prevent their integration by using the National Guard. -
Chicano Movement (Mural Movement)
The Chicano Mural Movement began in Mexican American barrios that carried throughout the Southwest. Artists depicted Mexican American culture by painting murals on walls throughout cities. This movement mainly aimed for the political and social equality for Mexican Americans. Some main leaders of the movement were Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales. -
Greensboro, North Carolina Sit-ins
In Greensboro, North Carolina, African American students staged a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter. The original four men, named the ‘Greensboro Four’ (Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr., and David Richmond), refused to leave after being denied service, which started a protest that slowly spread to other colleges. Eventually, the sit-ins led to establishments changing their segregationist policies. -
Freedom Riders
James Farmer and twelve other 'Freedom Riders' were civil rights advocates and activists who challenged segregated public transit by riding on buses into segregated Southern cities; in the court case Boynton V. Virginia, segregated buses were ruled unconstitutional, but due to the lack of U.S. enforcement, Freedom Riders tested the Supreme Court’s ruling to its effectiveness. -
24th Amendment
This amendment prohibited any poll tax in elections for federal officials. After the 15th amendment was ratified, and African American men could vote, some Southern states placed a fee to vote to prevent African Americans from voting, since they were usually poor. This amendment now guaranteed African Americans the right to vote. It was ratified by President Lyndon B. Johnson in January of 1964. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, was aimed to stop state and local-set barriers that prevented African Americans from voting, despite the 15th amendment granting them this right. It banned poll taxes, literacy tests, and any other measures used to stop African Americans from voting. -
Black Panthers
The Black Panther Party, originally referred to as the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a revolutionary organization that began in Oakland, CA, with an ideology of black nationalism, socialism, and armed self-defense. It was founded by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton, who spoke on a 10-point program to achieve their goals. -
Thurgood Marshall Appointed to the Supreme Court
Thurgood Marshall was the first African American Justice in United States history. He was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson after a former Associate Justice retired. This was a symbol for African Americans everywhere, for it was the middle of the Civil Rights Movement and it showed that change was happening. -
Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated
Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most respectable and recognizable leaders during the Civil Rights Movement. His assassination, which occurred in Memphis, TN, created African American outrage which eventually led to the Trenton Riots. Despite the grim context, these events paved the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1968. This act protected against discrimination of any kind. -
American Indian Movement (AIM)
The American Indian Movement, or AIM, is an advocacy group organized to address sovereignty, leadership, and treaty issues. AIM also protested racism and civil rights violations against Native Americans. It was founded by Dennis Banks, Russell Means, and Clyde Bellecourt in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1968. -
Sandra Day O'Connor Appointed to the Supreme Court
Sandra Day O’Connor was the first female Associate Justice in United States history. She was nominated by President Ronald Reagan, and later the Senate confirmed the appointment. Her status as a government official was a huge milestone for women everywhere, for now a women’s voice was in the direct line of the government. -
Sonia Sotomayor Appointed to the Supreme Court
Sonia Sotomayor was the first Hispanic and Latina Justice in United States history. She was appointed by President Barack Obama in May of 2009. This was a huge accomplishment for the Hispanic community, for Sotomayor has become a role model for everyone wanting an education and a successful career.
