-
Thirteenth Amendment Ratified
On this day, slavery was officially abolished by congress, with the exception of slavery as punishment. Under President Johnson, a state had to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment (among other things) to be readmitted to congress to vote. -
Fourteenth Amendment Ratified
The ratification of the Fourteenth amendment allowed, for the first time, a constitutional definition of American citizenship. This included everyone born in the US and naturalized, giving them all privileges and rights granted by the Constitution. It also stated that there could be no requirements for citizenship, meaning that blacks were finally considered citizens. -
Fifteenth Amendment Ratified
The ratification of the Fifteenth amendment finally allowed people of color the right to vote as citizens of the US. It stated that the "right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude". For the first time, African Americans began to have rights in the way the country ran. Some states, however, avoided this new right by creating poll taxes to prevent some from voting. -
Civil Rights Act of 1875
The Civil Rights Act originally came during the Reconstruction after the Civil War, promising rights to Americans. The act was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court until the mid-1960's. -
Period: to
Jim Crow Laws
Beginning in the late 1870's, the Jim Crow laws, originally supported by the supreme court, were created to enforce segregation and white supremacy. Ultimately, the decision of Brown v. Board reversed the laws, which were supported by Plessy v. Ferguson. -
Plessy v. Ferguson Decided
In Plessy v. Ferguson, Plessy (who was 7/8 white) was arrested for sitting in the white compartment of the train. He then applied for a supreme court case after Judge Ferguson ruled against the claim that "separate but equal" was unconstitutional. The supreme court won the case, essentially saying that black bring any racism upon themselves, and that legislation would not be the solution to the issue. -
Period: to
Scottsboro Boys
Nine black youths in Scottsboro, Alabama, were falsely charged with the rape of two white women. After a scuffle on a train that resulted with white men being thrown off, the women did not want to reveal their sexual relations with some of the white men, so they charged the black youths with rape. All but one were sentenced to death. -
Executive Order 9981
On July 26, 1948, then-current president Harry Truman issued Executive Oder 9981. This order desegregated the military, providing "equal treatment and opportunity". -
Brown v. Board of Education
In Brown v. Board, the ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson was overturned, saying that all segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, arguing, "Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal..." -
Emmett Till Murdered
14-year-old Emmett Till was kidnapped from a relative's house, beaten, and eventually murdered. This event stuck out due to its brutal nature that revealed the larger issues at hand. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
During this bus boycott, many African Americans refused to ride busses in response to segregated seating. It started with the famous Rosa Parks, ultimately developing into the first large scale US demonstration against segregation. The Supreme Court eventually ordered the desegregation of the bus system. -
Little Rock Nine
As a result of Brown v. Board, nine African American students were set to begin school at a previously all-white school. The government of Arkansas disagreed with this supreme court ruling, sending troops to block the students from entering the school. Later, the President sent troops to ensure the safety and rights of the students, who ultimately attended the school. -
Greensboro Sit-Ins
At a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, young African American students staged a sit-in to protest the segregation rules of the restaurant. This came with the bus protests and many other sit-ins across the country, eventually leading to a change in policy for many. -
Freedom Riders
The Freedom Riders were a group of 13 African-American and white civil rights activists who went on "Freedom Rides" across the country (mainly the south) to protest bus segregation and attempt to spur integration in bus terminals, bathrooms, and lunch counters. -
Letter from a Birmingham Jail
After being arrested, MLK Jr. wrote a letter from jail about the necessity of breaking laws if the laws are unjust/morally wrong. It also encouraged civil disobedience to a certain extent. -
Assassination of Medgar Evers
Working, at the time, as an employee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Evers was shot for being one of the most visible civil rights leaders in Mississippi. He was always an activist, including his application to the University of Mississippi Law School after Brown v. Board passed. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington of over 200,000 people called for active political and social changes in response to political and social challenges facing African Americans. This all led to MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech. -
Birmingham Bombings
In 1963, the African American Baptist church was bombed as an act of white supremacy by the Ku Klux Klan. This brought awareness to the dangers/perils of the fight for civil rights. -
Twenty Fourth Amendment
This banned the work-around that some states had used to continue to prevent African Americans from voting. "The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax." -
Freedom Summer
The Freedom Summer was an attempt to register as many black voters as possible. This was aimed at increasing voter registration across the US. They met much resistance from the KKK, police, and even the government. -
Disappearance of Michael H. Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, James E. Chaney
Those attempting to aid Civil Rights efforts suddenly began to "disappear", as a result of white supremacy. Three civil rights workers disappeared on June 21, 1964, and their remains were later found buried near a dam in Mississippi. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
In 1964, the Civil Rights Act made segregation in public places illegal, as well as making it illegal for an employer to discriminate by race. This was originally proposed by Lincoln, but finally passed under Johnson. -
MLK Receives Nobel Peace Prize
On October 14, 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent resistance to racial prejudice in America. This was a result of his efforts in the Montgomery bus boycott and the March on Washington, among other events. -
Malcolm X Assassination
Malcolm X was an African American nationalist and religious leader who became associated with the Nation of Islam's Black Muslims, who ultimately assassinated him. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
In 1965, President Johnson enacted a law that made voting practices that were discriminatory illegal, including the South's mandated voting literacy tests. -
LA (Watts) Riots
In August of 1965, an African American male was pulled over for a suspicion of drunken driving. A riot began as a result of what seemed to be a racially motivated fight between the male and police officers. Over the course of the five days of riots, 34 died, 1,032 were injured, nearly 4,000 were arrested, and $40 million worth of property was destroyed. -
Thurgood Marshall Appointed to Surpreme Court
Thurgood Marshall was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Johnson in 1967. He was the first African American to sit on the Supreme Court. -
Assassination of MLK
In 1968, MLK was shot by a sniper. His death led to riots and violence, which President Johnson responded to by reminding the people of King's legacy of nonviolence. As a way to honor his legacy, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968.