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Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education: In Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, District of Columbia, the Court declared that "separate but equal" schools were inherently unequal, violating the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. This decision overturned Plessy v. Ferguson in the context of education and marked a major step toward desegregation in the U.S. The people involve were, Oliver Brown, father of Linda Brown and NAACP -
Murder of Emmett Till
In Money, Mississippi, 14-year-old Emmett Till from Chicago was accused of offending a white woman in a grocery store. Emmett whistled at a white woman who was Carolyn Bryant. He was beaten and killed by Roy Bryant who was the woman’s husband and J.W. Milan who was the brother in law. His funeral was an open casket held by his family. -
Rosa Parks and the Bus Boycott
Rosa parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Rosa was later arrested and the African American community in Montgomery organized a boycott of the city’s bus system. The boycott lasted for 381 days and impacted the revenue of the bus system. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
This was a pivotal organization in Atlanta Georgia, in the history of the American civil rights movement. It was founded by a group of 60 African American ministers and civil rights leaders, with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The organization was committed to achieving civil rights for African Americans through nonviolent protest and civil disobedience. -
Little Rock 9
In Little Rock, Arkansas nine African-American students became the first black students to attend classes at the formerly all-white Little Rock Central High School. The integration was met with severe resistance from many white community members. President Dwight D. Eisenhower intervened by federalizing the Arkansas National Guard and sending in troops and the 101st Airborne Division to enforce the court order. This ensured the students' safe entry into the school. The NAACP also helped. -
Greensboro Sit ins
The sit-ins began in Greensboro, North Carolina at a Woolworth’s lunch counter. It started with four African American college students, they started the protest by sitting at the “whites only” lunch counter. They could buy items but we’re not served food. On February 3rd there were 60 students, On February 4 there were 300 students. On February 5th the sit ins were confronted by 50 white men. -
Ruby Bridges
In New Orleans, Louisiana, at just six years old, Ruby Bridges became the first African American student to attend the all-white William Frantz Elementary School. She had to pass a hard test in order to attend this school. Ruby was escorted to and from school by U.S. federal marshals to be the only student taught by 1 teacher. She was one of 4, 6 year old black children. -
Freedom Riders
Were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated Southern United States in 1961 to challenge racial segregation in public transportation. Organized by CORE, SNCC, NAACP, Northville Student movement. 436 individuals on 60 separate rides were involved. This took place in the southern states. They were traveling from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans, Louisiana. They were beaten and faced severe arrests and protests. -
March on Washington
Was a March in Washington, D.C. for jobs and freedom. The event was led by civil rights and labor leaders, including, A. Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Over 250,000 people Black and white gathered at the Lincoln Memorial. Martin Luther King Jr.’s "I Have a Dream" Speech was given making it the most famous moment of the march. In which he called for an end to racism and envisioned a future where people would be judged by their character, not the color of their skin. -
Civil Rights Act (1964)
This took place in Washington D.C., signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. However, it didn't address voting rights. It enabled federal government to prevent racial discrimination and segregation based on race,color,religion, or national origin in private businesses and public facilities. MLK played an important role by leading nonviolent protests, organizing demonstrations, and pressuring political leaders to act against racial segregation and discrimination. -
Assassination of Malcom X
Malcolm X was giving a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, New York City. As he began speaking, three gunmen rushed the stage and shot him multiple times. He was pronounced dead shortly after at New York’s Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. After breaking with the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X’s views evolved—he became more focused on human rights, unity, and international activism. He received death threats from members of Islam, especially after openly criticizing its leader, Elijah Muhammad. -
Selma to Montgomery Marches (Bloody Sunday)
Around 600 marchers, led by John Lewis (SCLC) and Hosea Williams, began a peaceful 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery to demand voting rights. As they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were met by Alabama state troopers and local police, ordered by Governor George Wallace to stop them. They were brutally attacked with clubs, tear gas, and whips, leaving many severely injured. -
Voting Rights Act (1965)
In Washington D.C. it banned literacy tests, poll tax and other discriminatory voting practices. Put federal examiners in states with a history of voter suppression (mainly in the South) to monitor elections. Voting is a federal matter, not a state matter. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King was shot dead while standing on a balcony outside his second-floor room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. King had arrived in Tennessee on Wednesday, 3 April, to prepare for a march the following Monday on behalf of striking Memphis sanitation workers. James Earl Ray was the one who shot him.