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Plessy v. Ferguson
Court decisions and state laws in the 1890s severely limited African American rights. In the Plessy v. Ferguson case, the Supreme Court ruled that these laws were not violating the 14th Amendment as long as everything was "separate but equal." -
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded to promote full racial equality. -
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an African American lawyer who won 29 out of 32 of the cases he argued before the Supreme Court in 23 years. -
The Sit-Ins
The first sit-in was staged in Chicago in 1942. African American protesters sat down at a segregated lunch counter and refused to move from their spot until they were served. -
De jure vs. De facto segregation
De jure segregation was segregation by law, while de facto segregation was segregation by custom or practice. -
Malcolm X
An Islamic minister and civil rights activists who challenged Martin Luther King's non-violent ideals by believing in an eye for an eye. -
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" education was unconstitutional. -
Emmett Till
14 year old Emmett Till was murdered by 2 white men, who were later found not guilty. This occurred because Till allegedly flirted with a white woman. -
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Civil Rights activist Martin Luther King preached the idea of non-violence. He was inspired by Gandhi's ability to resist without using force, Henry David Thoreau's civil disobedience and A. Phillip Randolph's organization of mass demonstrations. -
Rosa Parks
A seamstress who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white person. When told she was going to be arrested, Parks responded with, "You may do that." -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
After Martin Luther King's passionate speech, the audience of between 5,000 and 15,000 people felt a sense of mission. African Americans filed a lawsuit and refused to ride Montgomery buses for 381 days. -
Little Rock School Integration
Arkansas was the first Southern state to allow African Americans into universities without a court order. The Little Rock Nine were teenagers who agreed to take the first step of integrating schools. The National Guard was called to stop them, but a federal judge ordered them to be let in. -
Freedom Rides
Freedom riders hoped to provoke a violent reaction in order for laws to be enforced. -
March on Birmingham, Alabama
More than 1,000 African American children gathered to march on Birmingham. 959 of them were arrested, and on May 3 a second group of children gathered and were met with helmeted forces who clubbed them and sent attack dogs. -
March on Washington
Over 250,000 people (including around 75,000 whites) met on the lawn of the Washington Monument and walked to the Lincoln Memorial. This is where Martin Luther King gave his famous "I Have A Dream" speech. -
24th Amendment
This amendment prohibited any poll tax in elections. -
Race Riots
In the mid 1960s tensions between white authority and black civilians spread quickly. In July 1964, a race riot ended in the death of a 15 year old. Later that summer, one of the worst race riots occurred in a predominately black neighborhood in Los Angeles where 34 people were killed and millions of dollars worth of property was destroyed. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act banned discrimination against anyone based on sex, religion, national origin, and race in all public places and most workplaces. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Passed in the summer of 1965, this act eliminated the literacy test that caused some people to be unable to vote in elections. After this law was passed, the number of African Americans registered to vote tripled. -
March from Selma to Montgomery for voting rights
About 600 protesters set out for Montgomery and that night, people watched their televisions in horror seeing police whip, club, and gas the protesters. This day is now known as Bloody Sunday. On March 31, around 3,000 protesters set out once again to Montgomery this time with federal protection. This number quickly grew to over an army of 25,000 people. -
Black Panther Party
Dressed in black leather jackets and berets, the Black Panther Party was formed to fight policy brutality in the ghetto. The Black Panthers were involved in shootouts with the police. They also advocated self-sufficiency and believed black youth should be excluded from serving in the military.
