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Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court unanimously rules that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat and sit at the back of the bus in the "colored section". As a response to Parks' arrest, the black community boycotted bus rides for over a year. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Martin Luther King Jr. becomes the President of the SCLC, where he bases its principles on nonviolence and civil disobedience. -
Martin Luther King Jr. Arrest
Martin Luther King Jr. is arrested during anti-segregation protests in Birmingham, Alabama. While in jail, he writes "Letter from Birmingham Jail", suggesting that individuals have a moral duty to disobey unjust laws. -
March on Washington
Thousands of people gather at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. where Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his " I Have a Dream" speech. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits discrimination of all kinds. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
During a speech on the balcony of his hotel room, Martin Luther King Jr. is shot and killed.