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Brown v. The Board of Education
A black girl named Linda Brown was compelled to attend an all-black school miles away from her and could not attend the school a few blocks from her home because she was not white. Newly appointed Chief Justice Warren declared the Supreme Court's decision that school segregation was illegal. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks sparked the idea of the bus boycott, which was originally a one-day boycott but ended up being a 400 day protest. Powerful figures in the African community pledged their support to the cause and came up with strategic methods to avoid buses such as carpooling and using African cabs instead. City officials were startled by the strength of the resistance. The boycott finally ended when the SCOTUS ruled that segregation on Montgomery buses was unconstitutional. -
Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine occurred when Governor Faubus utilized the Arkansas National Guard in order to stop 9 African Americans from entering an all white school. The 9 students had been enrolled into the school by the superintendent to resist the segregation occurring within the education system. This resulted in the governor meeting with President Eisenhower and being denied the delay of implementing desegregation. The next day, the 9 students arrived escorted by armed federal soldiers. -
Sit-Ins
Students began sitting in protest at white-only areas in order to protest. They did not leave until they were served. This movement was started by four African American college students who were turned down in getting something to eat at a bus station. Sales dropped by 1/3 so merchants gave in. This sparked Sit-ins across the nation. -
Freedom RIders
James Farmer, executive director of CORE, organized carefully selected interracial groups on buses At every stop, African volunteers exited the bus and entered white-only areas. As violence towards the Freedom Riders grew, every person was prepared to die. Police, troops, and the National Guard arrested blacks that tried to enter all-white areas. Still, the numbers of the Freedom Riders continued to grow. After immense pressure, the ICC made a ruling against segregation of interstate facilities. -
Birmingham Demostrations
These demonstrations highlighted the attempts at integration made by African Americans. These protests were mainly led by MLKJ, opposed by police commissioner Eugene Connor who sprayed protesters with fire hoses and unleashed dogs upon them. After the jailing of over 2,000 protesters, Kennedy announced his opposition to segregation and sent Congress a civil rights bill, which made devastating blows on segregation. -
The March on Washington
This march began as a demand for better jobs but turned to be a platform for the Civil Rights Movement as a whole. There was a demand for support of Kennedy's civil rights bill. This was the largest crowd to form in a Civil Rights demonstration. The iconic "I Have a Dream" speech was also given here by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.