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Brown vs. Board of Education
It was a Supreme Court case that ended segregation. It was unaminous for equal protection under the 14th amendment. Violence and riots broke out. Some schools were closed because of the decision. -
Emmet Till
A fourteen-year old boy, Emmet Hill, was accused of whistling at a white woman. Two men kidnapped, beat, shot, and killed him and left his body in a river. Emmet’s mother held an open casket funeral for her son. The two men were not found guilty and this led to the start of the Civil Rights Movement. -
Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks kept her seat on a Montgomery bus and she was put in jail and fined $10. This influenced a boycott against the policy of racial segregation on public transportation in Montgomery, Alabama. It resulted in the Supreme Court ruling segregation on public buses unconstitutional. -
SCLC
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is a civil rights organization. This organization successfully staged a 381-day boycott of the Montgomery Alabama’s segregated bus system. This organization is best known for holding large, nonviolent protests and pushing the federal government to support civil rights initiatives. -
Little Rock Nine & Central High School
This was testing the Brown vs. Board of Education decision. They undergoed this test by vetting 9 students. The following year, all public schools were closed in 1958. Later, in 1958, the schools reopened. -
Greensboro Sit-In
In Greensboro, North Carolina, four students sat down a lunch counter so that they could be served. However, they were refused service. They chose to stay seated and others joined the “the sit-in”. This resulted in other towns participating in the protest and it ultimately forced change. -
SNCC
Youth students remained independent of MLK and SCLC, creating their own projects and strategies. The two organizations worked side by side throughout the early years of the civil rights movement. The group was the second half of the Freedom riders and were a part of the March to Selma. -
Freedom Riders
A two week bus trip to the South to deliberately violate Jim Crow Laws. It was organized by CORE. The buses were burned and the riders were beaten by KKK. Then in 1961, white and colored signs are removed from bus stations, train stations, and lunch counters. -
March on Washington
This march was to advocate for the Civil and economic rights of African Americans. At the Lincoln Memorial, 250,000 attended. MLK’s famous speech, “I Have a Dream” took place last. This helped to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act prohibits discrimination against race, gender, and other. It forbids employers and labor unions to discriminate against any person on grounds. You can not be refused service as well. -
March on Selma/Bloody Sunday
600 students march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to get the right vote. They walked many miles and were stopped at the bridge. It was seen on television, LBJ ordered the passage of 1965vlting rights law. -
Voting Rights Act
This is one of the most comprehensive pieces of legislation in U.S. History. Black people were registered to vote. They were also being elected to public office.