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Brown vs. Board of Education
The Brown vs. BOE was a landmark event in the history of Civil Rights. The Justices of the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that segregation was unconstitutional. Thurgood Marshall was the attorney of the NAACP who won the case. -
Emmett Till Murder
Emmett Till, a young black male, was reportedly flirting with a white cashier. Four days later, he was tortured and killed by two white males. The news was quickly publicized and outraged many Civil Rights Activists. -
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Montgomery Bus Boycott
In response to the famous arrest of Rosa Parks, African Americans refused to ride buses in Montgomery, Alabama. In the end, the public bus system was ordered by the Supreme Court to desegregate. This was a major victory for the Civil Rights Cause and Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as a prominent leader for the Civil Rights Cause. -
Sit-In Events
(Many sit-ins occurred) Sit-ins were events where civil rights activists would sit at the segregated lunch counters and wait to be served even though it was obvious that the counter would not serve them because of their race or skin color. This brought a lot of publicity of the Civil Rights Movement. These sit-ins were arranged by both the SNCC and the SCLC. -
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Albany Movement
The Albany Movement was a failed attempt at desegregating the small southern town of Albany, Georgia. The sheriff knew in advance about the protesters coming and prepared to arrest all of them at once. King Jr. later admitted that he was outsmarted. -
Freedom Rides
Freedom Riders were groups of civil rights activists would ride in bus trips in the South to protest segregated bus terminals. This brought nationwide attention to the desegregation and Civil Rights Cause. -
NAACP Convention in Atlanta
The NAACP arranged its annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia where they met and arranged many peaceful protests in the years to come. Although there were many white supremacist groups trying to protest the meeting, it was able to continue unscathed. -
March on Washington
Known as the defining moment in the Civil Rights movement. About a quarter million civil rights activist gathered at Washington D.C. to protest Civil Rights and Martin Luther King Jr. preformed his famous "I Have a Dream" speech there. -
Freedom Summer
In the summer of 1964, many civil rights activists gathered in Mississippi to non-violently protest segregated registration laws. The protesters were met with violence including false arrest, arson, and even murder. The voter laws were eventually changed. -
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Selma March
Originally, this march was supposed to be peaceful, but troops and white supremacist groups attacked the nonviolent protesters. This was known as "Bloody Sunday" and shook the entire nation.