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The First 20 African Slaves
The first 20 African slaves were sold to settlers in Virginia as indentured servants.
Little did everyone know this would soon create a huge issue throughout America and begin slaves being the "it" thing for white Americans to have. -
Constitution Adopted
The constitution was adopted and slaves were counted as three-fifths of a person only for means of representation.
This was used for the South so that they could have an okay amount of people as a population for their state compared to those with higher populations that were up North, this did not help the slaves, it only helped their owners and the Southern states. -
Dred Scott Case
A slave had lived in free territory and sued for his freedom on the grounds residence. The Supreme Court ruled against him stating that slaves were inferior to white men and also ruled that slaves were not citizens and had no right to sue.
This was a struggle for every slave as they now struggled deeply to find freedom. -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. This amendment ended slavery which was a huge victory for civil rights and for African American's. This amendment changed lives for many. -
Freedman's Bureau
Helped former slaves and poor white farmers get back on their feet and become established after the devastation's of the Civil War -
Fifteenth Amendment
15th Amendment guaranteeing that the right to vote can not be denied because of race.
This allowed white and black men to vote. -
Civil Rights Act
Congresses passes the first Civil Rights Act which guaranteed African Americans equal rights in transportation, restaurants, theaters, and on juries. However this law was struck down in 1883 with the majority of the court saying the constitution allows congress to act on only discrimination by government and not that by private citizens.
Had this Act not of been struck down it would have helped stop discrimination agasint African Americans. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act restricting the immigration of all Chinese laborers for 10 years and made it a requirement for the Chinese to carry identification cards with them everywhere. Discrimination towards the Chinese was solely because of their race and they had no civil rights protecting them agasint this discrimination. -
19th Amendment
19th Amendment gave women the right to vote.
This stopped discrimination against those because of gender and allowed women to become just as equal as men. -
Executive Order from President Roosevelt
Executive order banned discrimination against minorities in defense contracts.
This was another step towards stopping discrimination through out all aspects of life. -
Shelly v. Kramer
Shelly v. Kramer case makes it illegal for government support enforcement of private parties being able to exclude minorities of buying houses in white neighborhoods.
This court case made the government no longer able to help white neighborhoods in stopping minorities from moving in helping end government discrimination toward minorities. -
Executive Order 9981
President Truman signed the "Executive Order 9981" which stated "It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin."
This meant that there could no longer be discrimination towards those joining in the military. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The supreme court ruled that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. This meant that public schools could no longer segregate children due to their race. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference Established
The SCLC became a major force in organizing civil rights movement and based its principles on non-violence.
This movement of non-violence helped the blacks efficiently get there point across about their civil rights issues. -
Sit-In
Four black students begin a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter. They are refused service but are allowed to sit there. This makes more non-violent events occur throughout the south and six months later the same four students are served lunch at that same diner.
This sit-in by the college students helped end segregation in places where blacks were still discriminated against. -
Bombing in Civil Rights Meeting Location
Four girls who were attending Sunday school at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church were killed by a bombing because people were unhappy with the church because it was a popular location for civil rights meetings. The civil rights meetings being held at this church were the cause for the bombings that killed the four young girls. -
Bloody Sunday
African Americans began to march to Montgomery to support voting rights. On their march they are stopped by a police blockade and 50 marchers were hospitalized because of the police tactics used. This march is significant to civil rights because many say it was the catalyst for pushing through the voting rights act that happened five months later. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Congress passed this act helping southern blacks to be able to register to vote. This act made the literacy tests, poll taxes, and other things that prevented blacks from voting illegal.
Making those things illegal allowed blacks to be more equal. -
Relocation of Japanese Americans
The government placed 110,000 Japanese Americans in barbed wire because we were at war with Japan and the U.S. feared that they were on Japan's side.
This relocation of Japanese Americans was a form of discrimination because of where these people came from and their race. -
Civil Rights Act of 1991
After two years of debates and vetos President Bush decides to sign the Civil Rights Act of 1991 that helped strengthen existing civil rights laws and helped put an end to cases of intentional employment discrimination.
This act helped those experiencing employment discrimination whether it was race or gender.
