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13th, 14th, 15th Amendment Image
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13th, 14th, 15th Amendment
These were three amendments passed for Civil War Reconstruction and one of the first amendments to improve civil rights. The first officially abolished slavery throughout the nation, the second granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the US, including African American slaves, and the third gave the right to vote to all African Americans. -
Tuskegee Institute
Founded by Booker T. Washington, this school would trian African American teachers, as well as teach them practical skills in agriculture and construction to better survive in the rural South. -
Plessy v Ferguson image
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Plessy v Ferguson
This was a very significant case as it defended the constitutionality of racial segregation laws, creating the term "sperate but equal." Though on paper it made it seem like colored people would still have equal rights, many public businesses and school that were segregated treated minorities unfairly or didn't allow them at all. -
NAACP
Short for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the NAACP is the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the US. It was originally created in NYC to combat the violence against Blacks across the country. During the Civil Rights Era, it would have a major role in the decision in the Brown vs Board of Education case in Congress, and would help organize the March on Washington. -
19th Amendment
Also called the Susan B. Anthony amendment this was a amendment that was proposed by republicans to extend the right to vote to women as well. though it wasn't ratified until a year after it was passed, this was one of the largest steps for women to finally get the same rights as men. -
John Lewis
Known as one of the "Big Six" civil rights movement leaders alongside MLK, Lewis began to lead in the movement as a college student, and was a Chairman in the SNCC and planned many sit-ins and other protesting activities. He was also one of the key speakers at the March on Washington. Later on he served in the House as a Representative of Georgia, before dying last year on July 17. -
Executive order 9981
This executive order was signed by President Truman to abolish discrimination in the Armed forces based on religion, race, etc. This also ended segregation within the Army and was one of the first instances of segregation being abolished and was a catalyst for the civil rights movement -
Brown v Board of Education Image
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Brown v Board of Education
This was an extremely important case in the path towards ending segregation because in this case the Supreme Court declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional go against the ruling in Plessy v Ferguson, which stated that schools could be "sperate but equal." -
Montgomery Bus Boycott Image
On this day Rosa Parks was arrested, which was one of the leading causes of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. -
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Montgomery Bus Boycott
This began after a woman named Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. This began one of the largest boycotts against segregation, where african americans and supporters of civil rights stop riding buses to protest. This continued until Congress ruled bus segregation unconstitutional. This incident got lots of publicity and led to many other boycotts. -
Civil Rights act of 1957
Signed by President Eisenhower into law, this act was created as a way to reinforce the 14th and 15th amendments by prosecuting parties that interfere with peoples right to vote, and by creating the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, which was in charge of enforcing the prohibition of discrimination based on race, gender, religion, etc. -
SNCC
Short for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, this was a group mostly made up of Black college students to give them more influence in the civil rights movement. One of the main things they were known for were sit-in ins in segregated restaurants, but they participated in other acts of civil disobedience as well. -
Greensboro Sit-ins image
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Greensboro Sit-ins
This was a sit-in in a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. It started with four black students: Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil. After their act of protest, more students began to join the four, then hundreds in multiple places in the city, before sit-ins were happening all over the nation. -
Freedom Riders image
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Freedom Riders
This was a large group of civil rights activist of mixed races who rode into the segregated South to get Congress to declare segregated buses illegal in all parts of the nation. They were successful, but faced many problems by many attacks, murders, and even a bus got burned and destroyed by the Ku Klux Klan led by their leader William Chapel. -
24th Amendment
Ratified 2 years after its passing, this amendment outlawed the poll tax in federal elections. This took so long to be ratified because some Southern states wanted to keep it since it disproportionately affected black voters. This gave more protection to the right to vote for black voters especially in the south, however many critics believed that the amendment should've done more for state and local elections. -
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Dr.King wrote these letters after being arrested in Birmingham, Alabama with other black protesters. They were were written to a group of white Alabama clergy that talked about the hardships that the civil rights activist faced in their path to earn equality and freedom and that they need to end segregation as soon as possible. This letter was actually sent to and seen by the greater public to combat criticism of the movement from many parts of the nation. -
March on Washington
This was one of the most significant and largest protest during the Civil Rights movement, which took place in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. This also created a national understanding of racial and economic injustice. One of Dr.King's most well known and significant speeches, the "I Have a Dream" speech, which played a role in the signing of the Civil Rights act of 1964. Other civil rights leaders, like John Lewis, Roy Wilkins, and Whitney Young also had speeches there. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This was one of the most significant civil right acts because it forbade discrimination based on race, gender, and religion in restaurants, transportation, other public facilities, and employment. This led to the end of Jim Crow laws in the South and segregation in public places. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This was signed into law by President Johnson, this act solved the main issue of the 24th Amendment by protecting the right to vote for minorities on the state and local level, and got rid of any boundaries that were made to restrict their right to vote, like Literacy test. Though it wasn't strongly enforced in the South, it led to many more Southern African Americans going into vote in local elections. -
Black Panthers
This was a group started by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California to protect African Americans from police and racial violence and Promote Black Power. The group was also known for fighting for Black weapon rights, fighting for financial compensation for the exploitation of Blacks, and gave access to medical clinics and free breakfast for children along many other efforts to protect and improve their community. They lots of Opposition From the FBI since the group's establishment. -
Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King was assassinated on this day in a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. he was killed by James Earl Ray who was an outspoken racist who strongly hated Dr.King and other civil rights activists. This led to a large mourning period and lots of anger from African Americans, causing the Holy Week Uprising, a wave of civil disturbances throughout the nation.