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Brown v Board of Education
Brown v Board of Education is a court case where SCOTUS ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregated schools are otherwise equal in quality. -
White Citizens Council
The White Citizens Council was a network of white supremacist and extreme right organizations in the United States. The WCC was in the South, and Robert B. Patterson was the founder. -
Brown v Board of Education II
Judge Warren and the Supreme Court ordered for integration in schools "with all deliberate speed." This was following the first court case of Brown v Board of Education I. This case is from Topeka, Kansas. -
Lynching of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was lynched after being accused of offending a white woman. He was visiting Money, MS from Chicago when he was killed. His mother had an open casket during his funeral to show the country how her young son was tortured and killed for no reason other than racism. -
Rosa Parks Arrested
Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, decided to protest segregation laws on public buses by not moving when asked to give her seat to a white passenger on her way home from work in Alabama. Her decision started the 381-day long Montgomery bus boycott and initiated a lot of the Civil Rights Movement. -
Martin Luther King House Bombing
In retaliation for the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, segregationists bombed Martin Luther King Jr.'s house. After witnessing the bombing, he preached nonviolence to his supporters by saying, “I want you to love our enemies.” -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery bus boycott occurred from December 5, 1955 until December 20, 1956, lasting 381 days. It was a nonviolent protest against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama. Rosa Parks' arrest led to this. -
Bombing of Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth
The KKK bombed Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth's home. He was a civil rights activist in Alabama. Fortunately, no one passed away, but the home was destroyed. -
SCLC Founded
The SCLC, or Southern Christian Leadership Conference, was founded in Atlanta, GA in 1957. One of the founders and the first president of the organization was MLKJ. Its purpose is to gain or protect civil and political rights. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was the catalyst for the organization to be founded. -
Eisenhower Sends in Federal Troops
President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered troops to Little Rock to restore order and to protect the students. Little Rock was trying for integration in schools, and the Little Rock 9 were black students attending the school who got discriminated against, mostly by white parents, causing the troops to be sent when their unapproval got out of hand. -
SNCC Formed
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was founded in April 1960, at Shaw University, in Raleigh, NC. It was a strong organization for student commitment during the Civil Rights Movement. -
Greensboro Sit Ins
"Whites only" lunch counters caused sit-ins in Greensboro, NC. They were nonviolent protests led by young African Americans that involved them not leaving after being denied service. The sit-ins happened from February to July 1960. -
White Mob Attacks Federal Marshals in Montgomery
A busload of Freedom Riders was attacked by a white mob in Montgomery, Alabama. The federal government had to send in U.S. marshals to restore order. -
Albany Georgia “Failure”
The Albany Movement was an unsuccessful attempt at desegregating public spaces in Southwest Georgia. The movement intended on ending all forms of racial segregation in Albany, but it initially focused on desegregating travel facilities. -
Freedom Rides
In the segregated South of the U.S., groups of white and African American civil rights activists participated in Freedom Rides. They were bus trips that protested segregated bus terminals. They went from May 4 to December 10 1961. The protests were nonviolent, but the riders were met with violent backlash. -
Bailey v Patterson
The court case Bailey v Patterson rules that no State may require racial segregation of transportation facilities. This case is from Jackson, Mississippi. -
MLK Goes to a Birmingham Jail
MLKJ was imprisoned at Birmingham Jail as a participant in nonviolent demonstrations against segregation in Alabama. He wrote a famous letter regarding the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism. He was in jail for 11 days. -
Kennedy Sends in Federal Troops
President John F. Kennedy federalized National Guard troops and deployed them to the University of Alabama in order to force desegregation to happen. Following, two black students enrolled in the university. -
Equal Pay Act
The Equal Pay Act is a United States labor law that amends the Fair Labor Standards Act, it requires that men and women be given equal pay for equal work in the same establishment. It was signed by John F. Kennedy as part of his New Frontier Program. -
Assassination of Medgar Evers
Medgar Evers was a WWII veteran and member of the NAACP. He was shot with a rifle by Byron De La Beckwith, a member of the White Citizen's Counsel in Jackson, MS. His death helped inspire the Civil Rights Movement. -
March on Washington “I Have a Dream”
In Washington D.C., there was a march for jobs and freedom. The purpose was to advocate for African American rights. MLKJ gave his famous speech, "I Have a Dream," where he called for an end to racism. It is a very powerful and memorable event in U.S. history. -
Bombing of a Church in Birmingham
White supremacist terrorists bombed a church in Birmingham, Alabama with a mostly black congregation. The perpetrators' motive was racial segregation and they caused four deaths. -
Assassination of JFK
JFK, 35th U.S. President, was shot on November 22, 1963, and died at Parkland Memorial Hospital, in Dallas, TX. He was riding with Jackie, the Governor of Texas, and his wife in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Lee Harvey Oswald, former U.S. Marine, shot JFK, and he died about 30 minutes later. -
Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer was a volunteer campaign in the United States in order to increase the number of African-American voters in Mississippi. Many white volunteers joined African American volunteers as they fought intimidation and discrimination of voting. -
XXIV (24th) Amendment
The 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits both Congress and the states from conditioning the right to vote in federal elections on payment of a poll tax or other types of tax. South Dakota ratified the Amendment, and Lyndon B. Johnson officially signed it in February. -
Killing of Goodman, Chaney, Schwerner
Three activists, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, were abducted and killed in Neshoba County, Mississippi. There were 10 perpetrators, they shot the men. The three victims were part of COFO and CORE. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements, and racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations. It is part of the 14th Amendment. Also, it was signed by President Lyndon Johnson at the White House. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
Malcolm X was shot at Audubon Ballroom in New York City by rival Black Muslims. He was addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity when he was killed. -
Selma to Montgomery March
The march went from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, March 7, 1965, to March 21, 1965. It was a protest planned by MLKJ and the SCLC in response to Jimmie Lee Jackson's death, who was a young African American demonstrator. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The 89th U.S. Congress made the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which is federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed by President Lyndon Johnson. -
Black Panthers Formed
The Black Panthers Party was formed in Oakland, CA. It was founded by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton, and it was a political organization with ideologies of black nationalism, socialism, and armed self-defense. -
Detroit Riots
The Detroit Riots were violent confrontations between black residents and the Detroit Police Department. They lasted for five days and resulted in 43 deaths. -
Loving v Virginia
Loving v Virginia is a court case where SCOTUS unanimously got rid of laws that banned interracial marriage as violations of the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Mildred and Richard Loving were an interracial couple that left their home in Virginia and got married in D.C. -
Minneapolis Riots
Young African Americans rebelled against an unjust power structure and set fire to storefronts in Minneapolis after racial tensions had built up. It was a very violent protest. -
Assassination of MLK
MLK Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, TN at the Lorraine Motel on April 4th, 1968 where he was working. The assassin was James Earl Ray. He shot MLK at 6:01 PM and he died at 7:05 PM in the hospital. -
Assassination of Robert “Bobby” Kennedy
Bobby Kennedy was a politician, lawyer, and U.S. Senator from New York. He was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in LA. He died at 1:44 AM in PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles, CA.
