Civil Rights Timeline

  • Brown v. Board of Education

    On May 17, 1954 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that segregation in schools violated the 14th Amendment. This case took place in Kansas as well as South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, and District of Columbia. The individuals involved in the case were Oliver Brown, who was father of Linda Brown. An NAACP layer was also involved in the case.
  • Murder of Emmitt Till

    Around the date August 28, 1955, young Emmitt Till (14) was kidnapped, beaten , and brutally killed. He was on vacation visiting family in Money, Mississippi. He had been killed by Roy Bryant and his half-brother , because he had whistled at Bryant’s wife, Carolyn Bryant.
  • Rosa Parks and the Bus Boycott

    On December 1st, 1955 Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her middle seat to a white passenger. This act sparked a bus boycott in the Montgomery bus system. The boycott lasted 381 days. This occurred in Montgomery Alabama.
  • Southern Christian Leadership Conference

    The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was a nonviolent resistance organization founded on January 10, 1957. This organization was lead by Martin Luther King, Jr. MLK, black ministers, civil rights activists were all involved in the organization. This organization was founded in Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Little Rock 9

    The Little Rock 9 were nine students who were chosen to desegregate public schools in the U.S. The group consisted of Melba Pattillo, Thelma Mothershed, Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Gloria Ray, Minnijean Brown, Carlotta Walls, Terrence Robert’s, and Jefferson Thomas. This took place on September 4, 1957 in a town named Little Rock, Arkansas.
  • Greensboro Sit ins

    The Greensboro sit ins was a group of four young men that wanted to make a change with no violence involved. Woolworths Lunch Center was a place where you could purchase items, but could not sit and eat at their diner. The group of young men decided they wanted to change that so they made a protest that later was able to make a change. This happened in February 1, 1950 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
  • Ruby Bridges

    Ruby bridges was a 6 year old that was the first black child to attend an all-white elementary school. She attended school everyday and was the only student taught by one teacher. She attended school in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her teacher was Barbara Henry, and she had came all the way from Boston to teach her.
  • Freedom Riders

    Freedom Riders
    The freedom Riders were civil right activists both white and African American. They oils ride on bus trips around South America, and they would protest about segregated buses. This all occurred in May 4, 1961 through December 10, 1961.
  • March on Washington

    March on Washington
    On the date of August 28, 1963, there was more than 200,000 protesters took part in the March of Washington for jobs and freedom. In this event Martin Luther Kind delivered his most famous and memorable speech “ I have a dream”. This event was held near the Lincoln Memorial, and many civil rights leaders,organizers, and speakers attended.