-
13th Amendment (African Americans)
The abolishment of slavery in the United States -
14th Amendment (African Americans)
Rights of citizenship, due process of law, and equal protection of the law. The 14th amendment has become one of the most used amendments in court to date regarding the equal protection clause. -
15th Amendment (African Americans)
The right of citizens in the United States to vote despite race or color. This was important because it gave African American males the right to vote. -
Plessy v. Ferguson (African Americans)
A man named Homer Plessy was a mixed male, mostly of caucasian descent, who was arrested in New Orleans. He bought a train ticket and when he boarded, sat in the whites only section. The condutor insisted he get off but Plessy refused so he was arrested. The Supreme Court ruled Plessy in the wrong. This case is significant because it established the premises of ¨separate but equal¨ which would be the basis of Jim Crow in the South for decades to come. -
NAACP created (African Americans)
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was created in order to promote the equality of all colored people. This organization is significant because it created a place where African Americans and other people of color could advocate for their advancement and equality in society. -
19th Amendment (Women)
The right of citizens to vote in the United States despite a person’s sex. This amendment is significant because it gave women the right to vote on a national scale. -
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) proposed (Women)
An amendment created to guarantee the equal rights of all United States Citizens regardless of sex. This amendment aimed to give women equal rights in matters such as divorce and employment. -
Executive Order 9981 (African Americans)
President Truman signed this order which abolished discrimination in the military based on race, color, religion or national origin. This allowed for African Americans to finally join the armed forces. -
Brown v. Board of Education (African Americans)
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. This was important because it allowed people of color/African Americans to attend schools with white kids. -
Chicano Mural Movement (Chicanos)
A Mexican-American movement where they would create murals on walls depicting aspects of hispanic culture as well as to honor hispanic soldiers. This movement was meant to be an outlet for Mexcian-Americans to fight for political and social equality in the US. Led to greater equality for hispanics. -
Dr. King's: "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" (African Americans)
After King was arrested, he wrote a letter from jail to discuss his plans to gain equality. In these letters, he stated several core beliefs to his movement. These were that direct action was justified in unjust laws, without forceful action civil rights would never be achieved, and justified his beliefs of civil disobedience. These letters were big because it strengthened his movement and let those who opposed his movement see how serious he was about obtaining civil rights. -
March on Washington: "I Have a Dream" speech (African Americans)
Delivered by King during the March on Washington. This speech was centered around King’s dream to one day see the end of segregation and live in a world where people are not judged based on the color of their skin. This is one of his most famous speeches and led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
24th Amendment (African Americans)
Citizens have the right to vote in any election and will not be denied by not paying a poll tax. This amendment was important because it ended the poll tax which was a very common way to prevent African Americans from voting in elections. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (African Americans)
This act banned the use of voter registration, banned discrimination in public places(restaurants, hotels, theatres), withheld federal funds from programs that practiced discrimination, and established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which banned discrimination for employers and unions. This act was a big step in desegregation and for equality for African Americans. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965 (African Americans)
This act passed by Johnson prohibited discriminatory voting practices that had been implemented into the South. This act finally allowed African Americans to vote freely without things such as poll taxes and literacy tests that were previously used to stop them from voting. -
Black Panthers (African Americans)
The Black Panther Party was a group of militant, young African Americans who preached the ideas of self defense and socialism. They believed that violence was the only way to receive freedom. They were very big in Black Power and this group gave an outlet to young African Americans who wanted to fight for their equality. -
MLK Assassinated (African Americans)
Martin Luther King Jr. was in Memphis, Tennessee on the night of April 4, 1968 when he was shot while standing on the balcony of his hotel room. His death sent a wave of growth to the Black power Movement and Black Panther Party as well as creating a larger rift between blacks and whites in the United States. -
American Indian Movement (Native Americans)
Major force behind the Red Power movement. Focused on the renewal of traditional culture,economic independence, and better education for all children. They occupied Wounded Knee, Alcatraz and the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a way to protest against the treaties that had been broken in the past and to gain equality for natives. This movement was significant because it finally gave natives the freedom and equality they had always wanted for Americans. -
Sandra Day O'Connor appointed to the Supreme Court (Women)
Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman to be appointed to The Supreme Court. This is a very important event because it paved the way for future women who wanted a part in The Supreme Court or any other major legal system in the United States -
Sonia Sotomayor appointed to the Supreme Court (Chicanos)
Sonia Sotomayor was not only a female, but she was also the first hispanic/latina to be appointed to the Supreme Court. This event was significant because hispanics were now accepted into the higher levels of law in the U.S. and showed that they had a pathway to be a part of the United States legal system.
