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Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of education was a Supreme Court case back in 1954. This case was about school segregation for African American students not being able to go to white public schools. This was very unfair to these African American students. The case said that these students were able to go but with the saying “separate but equal”. This would be the beginning of the civil rights movement. -
Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was 14 when he went on vacation to Mississippi with his cousins. On the way he stopped at a gas station where Carolyn Bryant was a white register and Till allegedly whistled at her. Her husband Roy Bryant found out and took his brother in law J.W. Milan to beat up and lynch Emmett. He was brought back to his mom and his mom held an open casket funeral. Bryant and Milan went to trial but were found not guilty. -
Rosa parks and the Bus Boycott
In 1955, Rosa Parks was an African American woman who refused to give up her seat to a white guy in Montgomery, Alabama. She said that her reasoning behind her actions was to support Emmett till. She then got arrested and it would later motivate others into the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The boycott would be led by MLK and it would last about a year. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The SCLC was an organization linked to the black churches. 60 black ministers were pivotal in organizing civil right activism. Martin Luther King Jr was elected President. They focused its non violent strategy on citizenship, schools and efforts to desegregate individual cities. It played key roles in the March on Washington in 1963 and the Voting Rights Campaign and March to Montgomery in 1965. -
Little Rock Nine
Little Rock Nine was a group of 9 African American students who attended Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. They were brought into this school after the Brown v. Board of Education decision. On their first day of school, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent federal troops for their protection. They would be harassed everyday but they would be brave. They would inspire other schools to do the same. -
Greensboro Sit-ins
In Greensboro NC, 4 african american students were at a segregated lunch counter in 1960. When they sat down, they were denied service. They kept sitting there as they were just peacefully protesting, while being harassed by white customers. The sit-in drew attention to other public places across the country with similar protests. Later on, the diner had become desegregated. -
Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges was one of the 4 6-year-old black children in New Orleans LA, to pass a test. This test was important because if she passed, she would be able to go to schools with other white children. On her first day at her new school, 4 Federal Marshals would escort her to school. This would happen every day because a white mob would threaten her. She would be the only child in a class with her teacher. -
Freedoms Riders
13 civil rights activists from Birmingham Alabama, rode a bus from city to city in the Wuth. They were focusing on challenging ending racial segregation in bus stations. Many of these activists faced beatings and some were arrested. Robert Kennedy had no choice but to enforce desegregation with I.C.C. Some riders still would visit the southern states until all of the signs of segregation came down. -
March on Washington
On August 28, 1963, in Washington D.C there was a march for jobs and freedom. It was more of a rally than a march. The rally was for a demand on civil rights, economic equality and an end to racial discrimination. Over 250,000 people both white and black were gathered at the Lincoln Memorial. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I have a dream” speech during the event. This march was a significant moment for the civil rights movement. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a landmark U.S. law that aimed to end discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibited segregation in public places, banned employment discrimination, and enforced equal access to education and public services. The act played a key role in the broader Civil Rights Movement, helping to dismantle institutional racial segregation and advancing equal rights for all Americans. -
Malcom X
Malcom X was a civil rights activist and an African American Muslim minister. His name was Malcom Little but he changed it to Malcom X because he didn’t know his tribal surname. He became a face to the Nation of Islam. After visiting Mecca, he saw that all of the civil activists group should all come together to fight for their rights. He was assassinated in 1965. He would later become well known in the civil rights movement. -
Selma to Montgomery “Bloody Sunday”
On March 7, 1965 , a group of civil rights activists attempted to march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to demand voting rights for African Americans. The march was led by John Lewis. When they were at the Edmund Pettus Bridge they met with state troopers and local law enforcement. The peaceful protesters were brutally attacked, beaten with clubs and tear-gassed. The result of the violence shocked the whole nation leading to the Voting Rights Act. -
Voting Rights Act 1965
The voting rights act was a federal law that aimed to eliminate the discrimination in voting, mainly in the southern states. It banned the literacy tests, poll taxes and other practices for voting. The act also provided federal oversight in areas with a history of voter suppression to ensure fair voting practices. -
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a baptist preacher and a civil rights activist. He was in many of the civil rights events. He was the president of the SCLC and he organized the bus boycott that got started with Rosa parks. He got arrested in the Greensboro sit-ins, he was at the March on Washington and Selma to Montgomery. He was also there when President Johnson signed the 2 acts. He gave his speech “I have a dream”. He was assassinated in Memphis Tennessee on April 4, 1968.