-
Brown vs. Board
Oliver Brown was a Welder that claimed Black schools were not equal to White schools and On May 17th, 1954 the US Supreme Court ruled Unanimously that racial segregation in public schools violated the 14th Amendment. "Separate Educational Facilities are inherently unequal" Chief Justice Earl Warn said in the brown verdict. -
Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Roas Parks was a 40-year old Seamstress, and a secretary of the NAACP. On December 1st, 1955 Roas Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man. Four days after Rosa Parks was arrested arrested, Martin Luther King Jr led a boycott of Montgomery's bus company which lasted for over a year and almost caused the bus company to go bankrupt. after this 13-month boycott the US Supreme Court declared the bus company unconstitutional. -
Desegragation at Little Rock
Governor Orval Faubus contacted the National Guard to prevent 9 African American students from entering Central High School. Faubus was forced to call off the guard and in a tense standoff that followed. Live television captured footage of white mobs outside of the high school, for people around the country the images of angry white supremacy and the quiet and calm resistance of African Americans is unforgettable. -
Greensboro Sit-In
4 students by the names of Ezell Blair Jr. , David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil started a sit in movement. These men were denied service at Woolworth's lunch Counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. So the four men refused to leave and this "sit-in" had a ripple effect and passed through Colleges all over the South. -
Freedom Rides
The Freedom Riders were a group of white and African American civil right Activists. They participated in bus trips throughout the Southern America in 1961 to help protest segregated bus terminals. Some of these protests were met with arrests as well as horrific violence from white protestors. One of the buses was chased by white protestors until the tires blew out and then one of the activists threw a bomb into the bus. The Freedom Riders escaped the bomb but were brutally beaten by the mob. -
Ole Miss Riot
A African American Man named James Meredith enrolled to the University of Mississippi and was accepted until the University found out he was African American. A federal court ordered that "Ole Miss" must admit Meredith into the University. On September 30th, Meredith was escorted into the University and this caused a massive riot, but the next day Meredith walked to his classes as normal. -
March on Washington
the March on Washington was a huge protest that happened on August 8th, 1963. On this day over 250,000 people congregated in front of the Lincoln Memorial In Washington D.C. The people involved in this protest were looking for jobs and freedom with African American Civil Rights. Another historical event took place during this march, it was Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a Dream" speech. -
The Birmingham Bomb
On September 15th 1963, before the Sunday Morning services, A bomb exploded killing four young African American girls and injuring even more people. The Birmingham Baptist Church had also served as a meeting place for some Civil Rights leaders, the church had been know as a predominate African American congregation. This event helped draw the nations attention to the dangerous, hard-fought struggle for African American Civil Rights. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is considered to be the one of the crowning elements of the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended all segregation in all public places as well as banning employment discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion, or national origin. This act was first proposed by President Kennedy and was then signed into law by President Johnson, this act also led to the signing of other acts into legislation, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act was signed into the law by President Johnson, this Act overcame legal barriers and gave all African American's the right to vote according to the 15th Amendment. The Voting Rights Act is considered one of the most influential pieces of civil rights legislation in Civil Rights legislation. -
Hank Aaron breaks Home Run Record
On April l8th, 1974 Hank Aaron made a very significant achievement in Major League Baseball, he broke Babe Ruth's Home Run Record which is very important because Babe Ruth is considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Aaron Davis' achievement was even more significant because during this time Davis had received several death threats and he was heavily discriminated because he is an African American. -
Andrew Young
Andrew Young was the first African American man to become a member of the United Nations. Young was a confirmed as a U.S. ambassador to the United Nation on January 25th, 1977, he had become a prominent leader of civil rights during the 1960s. Young used his new position to help ensure world peace. -
Million Man March
The Million Man March was a mach on Washington where over 850,000 African American men from all across the USA gathered in Washington D.C. to rally one of the largest demonstrations in Washington History. This march way surpassed the 250,000 people who gathered for the March on Washington which was led by Martin Luther King Jr. The Million Man March was led by Louis Farrakhan and he called for all able-bodied African American Men to rally at the capital. -
Martin Luther King Jr Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is very significant in African American civil rights because it shows what a huge impact Martin Luther King Jr. had on America then with all his speeches and violence free protests for rights. It also shows us the impact he has on people today 50 plus years later on African American civil rights, King Jr. was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, African American civil right activist. -
Oprah Winfrey's Talk Show is started
Oprah Winfrey is one of the most influential women in America, she started out her television debut back in 1954 as a news anchor in Nashville and Baltimore. Then she moved to Chicago and hosted a low-rating talk show which she quickly raised reviews and it became even more popular then a talk program which was hosted by Phil Donahue. Oprah launched her show on September 8th 1986 and it became one of the most high rated talk-shows in television history. -
Los Angeles Riot
The Los Angeles Riots began after an African American man named Rodney King was in a high speed chase, he eventually surrendered but he was intoxicated and uncooperative. After he had surrendered 4 cops proceeded to beat King long after he was capable of fighting back. The next year on April 29th, huge riots began in Los Angeles which blocked streets, caused over 60 deaths, 2,000 injuries, the burning of 3,00 building and over a $1 billion in damage to buildings. -
Civil Rights Act of 1991
The Civil Rights Act of 1991 is referring to certain employees suing their bosses for racial discrimination in their workspaces. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 states that any kind of discrimination was not allowed. This act gave employees the right to sue their employers if their employers broke this law. -
Joseph McNeil Retires From the Army
Joseph McNeil retiring is significant because it shows how much our country has grown and changed since the Greensboro Movement. It shows that Joseph McNeil, who was one of four Greensboro Sit-in members, got through all the discrimination and found a job as a member of the US Air Force. Joseph McNeil retired from the Air Force as a Major General in 2000. -
Colin Powell becomes Secretary of State
In 2001, President W. Bush nominated Colin Powell Secretary of State, this decision was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. So, on January 20, 2001 Colin Powell became the first African American U.S. Secretary of State, Powell held his position of Secretary of State until January 26, 2005 where he was succeeded by Condoleezza Rice. Powell was a retired 4-Star General in the US Army. -
Barrack Obama becomes President
Barack Obama becoming president was one of the most significant presidents because he was the first African American president of the United States. Obama's victory speech said "change is coming to America."
