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Fourteenth Amendment
The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1868, granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States—including former slaves—and guaranteed all citizens “equal protection of the laws.” Would later be used in for many in many Supreme Court Decisions from then on. -
Fourteenth Amendment
The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1868, granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States—including former slaves—and guaranteed all citizens “equal protection of the laws.” Would later be used in for many in many Supreme Court Decisions from then on. -
Plessy V. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. The case stemmed from an 1892 incident in which African-American train passenger Homer Plessy refused to sit in a car for blacks. Rejecting Plessy’s argument that his constitutional rights were violated, the Supreme Court ruled that a law that “implies merely a legal distinction” between whites and blacks wasn't unconstitutional. -
Plessy V. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark 1896 U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. The case stemmed from an 1892 incident in which African-American train passenger Homer Plessy refused to sit in a car for blacks. Rejecting Plessy’s argument that his constitutional rights were violated, the Supreme Court ruled that a law that “implies merely a legal distinction” between whites and blacks was not unconstitutional. -
Truman Executive Order 9981
"Loyalty Order" was designed to rally public opinion behind his Cold War policies with investigations conducted under its authority. He also hoped to quiet right-wing critics who accused Democrats of being soft on communism. The program investigated over 3 million government employees, just over 300 of whom were dismissed as security risks. -
Truman Executive Order 9981
"Loyalty Order" was designed to rally public opinion behind his Cold War policies with investigations conducted under its authority. He also hoped to quiet right-wing critics who accused Democrats of being soft on communism. The program investigated over 3 million government employees, just over 300 of whom were dismissed as security risks. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a landmark 1954 Supreme Court case in which the justices ruled unanimously that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. helped establish the precedent that “separate-but-equal” education and other services were not, in fact, equal at all. -
Emmitt Tilll's Death
Emmitt Till was accused of making advances onto a white woman and was brutally lynched by her husband and her husband's brother. Having the mutilated corpse in an open casket funeral ignite indignation against the men who had harmed him and created ripples. There was further outrage when the two men were found innocent of the inhumane act. -
Emmett Till
Emmett Till was killed after being accused of flirting with a white woman. The Woman's husband and his brother killed him and left him in an unrecognizable state. They had an open casket funeral to highlight the inequalities and outrage was sparked. Further outrage was caused further when the men were found to be innocent. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was a civil rights activist who refused to surrender her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her defiance sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott; its success launched nationwide efforts to end racial segregation of public facilities. As a leader of the civil rights movement, Rosa Parks received many accolades during her lifetime, including the NAACP's highest award. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks refused to be moved from her seat when asked to by a white woman. When she was arrested for doing what she said and what was right it helped spark movement for equal rights. She left a legacy of standing up for what you believe in. -
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a civil-rights protest during which African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama, to protest segregated seating. The boycott took place from December 5, 1955, to December 20, 1956. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ordered Montgomery to integrate its bus system, and one of the leaders of the boycott, a young pastor named Martin Luther King, Jr., emerged as a prominent leader of the American civil rights movement. -
Little Rock Central High School
The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine black students who enrolled at formerly all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in September 1957. Their attendance at the school was a test of Brown v. Board of Education, a landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Despite the virulent opposition, nine students registered to be the first African Americans to attend Central High School. -
Little Rock Central High School
The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine black students who enrolled at formerly all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in September 1957. Their attendance at the school was a test of Brown v. Board of Education, a landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Despite the virulent opposition, nine students registered to be the first African Americans to attend Central High School. -
First "sit In"
The Greensboro sit-in was a civil rights protest that started in 1960, when young African-American students staged a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, and refused to leave after being denied service. The sit-in movement soon spread to college towns throughout the South. -
The Letter from Birmingham Jail
The Letter from Birmingham Jail, also known as the Letter from Birmingham City Jail and The Negro Is Your Brother, is an open letter written on April 16, 1963, by Martin Luther King Jr. The letter defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism. It says that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws and to take direct action rather than waiting potentially forever for justice to come through the courts. King writes, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". -
Selma and Eugene Conner
The racist head of the Birmingham Police Department. Stayed in power until people managed to oust him by showing footage of the department hurting peaceful protestors. -
Selma and Eugene Conner
The racist leader of the Birmingham Police Department. He evaded eviction from the position till a little after he initiated violence against the peaceful protestors in the children's march on Birmingham. -
Thomas Blanton Church Bombing
16th Street Baptist Church bombing, terrorist attack in Birmingham, Ala., on Sept. 15, 1963, on the predominantly African American 16th Street Baptist Church by local members of the KKK. Birmingham was a major site of protests, marches, and sit-ins that were often met with police brutality and violence from white citizens. Many of these churches were crucial in gathers for protest activity and as such they were a prime target for the KK and the like for bombings -
Thomas Blanton Church Bombing
16th Street Baptist Church bombing, terrorist attack in Birmingham, Ala., on Sept. 15, 1963, on the predominantly African American 16th Street Baptist Church by local members of the KKK. Birmingham was a major site of protests, marches, and sit-ins that were often met with police brutality and violence from white citizens. Many of these churches were crucial in gathers for protest activity and as such, they were a prime target for the KKK and the like for bombings -
I Have a Dream
I Have a Dream, speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., that was delivered on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington. A call for equality and freedom, it became one of the defining moments of the civil rights movement and one of the most iconic speeches in American history. Some 250,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., for the March on Washington. The one-day event both protested racial discrimination and encouraged the passage of civil rights legislation. -
24th Amendment
The 24th amendment is important because African Americans in the South faced significant discrimination and could not vote for elected officials that would work to end the discrimination. Although the poll tax was never a large sum of money, it was enough to stop poor African Americans and whites from voting. The 24th amendment is important because African Americans in the South faced significant discrimination and could not vote for elected officials that would work to end the discrimination. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, is considered one of the crowning legislative achievements of the civil rights movement. Proposed by John F. Kennedy, and signed by Lyndon B. Johnson. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, is considered one of the crowning legislative achievements of the civil rights movement. Proposed by John F. Kennedy, and signed by Lyndon B. Johnson. -
Malcolm X Assassinated
In New York City, Malcolm X, an African American nationalist, and religious leader, is assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity. Malcolm X advocated self-defense and the liberation of African Americans “by any means necessary.” Malcolm was admired by the African American community around the country. On February 21, 1965, one week after his home was firebombed, Malcolm X was shot to death by Nation of Islam members during a rally. -
Malcolm X Assassinated-February 21, 1965
Malcolm X, an African American nationalist and religious leader, was assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity. Malcolm X advocated self-defense and the liberation of African Americans “by any means necessary.” A fiery orator, Malcolm was admired by the African American community around the country. On February 21, 1965, one week after his home was firebombed, Malcolm X was shot to death by Nation of Islam members while speaking at a rally. -
Watts Riots
The Watts Riots, also known as the Watts Rebellion, was a large series of riots that broke out on August 11, 1965, in the predominantly black neighborhood of Watts in Los Angeles. The Watts Riots lasted for six days, resulting in 34 deaths, 1,032 injuries and 4,000 arrests, involving 34,000 people and ending in the destruction of 1,000 buildings, totaling $40 million in damages. -
Watts Riots
The Watts Riots, also known as the Watts Rebellion, was a large series of riots that broke out on August 11, 1965, in the predominantly black neighborhood of Watts in Los Angeles. The Watts Riots lasted for six days, resulting in 34 deaths, 1,032 injuries and 4,000 arrests, involving 34,000 people and ending in the destruction of 1,000 buildings, totaling $40 million in damages. -
MLK Jr. Assassinated
In response to King’s death, more than 100 American inner cities exploded in rioting, looting, and violence. James Earl Ray, a career small-time criminal who became the object of a more than two-month manhunt before he was captured in England, pled guilty to the shooting and received a 99-year prison sentence. -
MLK Jr. Assassinated -April 4, 1968,
In response to King’s death, more than 100 American inner cities exploded in rioting, looting, and violence. James Earl Ray, a career small-time criminal who became the object of a more than two-month manhunt before he was captured in England, pled guilty to the shooting and received a 99-year prison sentence. -
Los Angeles Riots of 1992
Los Angeles Riots of 1992, major outbreak of violence, looting, and arson in Los Angeles that began on April 29, 1992, in response to the acquittal of four white Los Angeles policemen on all but one charge (on which the jury was deadlocked) connected with the severe beating of an African American motorist in March 1991. As a result of several days of rioting, more than 50 people were killed, more than 2,300 were injured, and thousands were arrested. -
Ferguson, Missouri (Shooting of Michael Brown Jr)
On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown Jr., an 18-year-old African American man, was fatally shot by 28-year-old Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the city of Ferguson, Missouri. The shooting prompted protests that roiled the area for weeks. On Nov. 24, the St. Louis County prosecutor announced that a grand jury decided not to indict Mr. Wilson. The announcement set off another wave of protests. In March, the Justice Department called on Ferguson to overhaul its criminal justice system. -
Shooting of Michael Brown Jr.
On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown Jr., an 18-year-old African American man, was fatally shot by 28-year-old Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the city of Ferguson, Missouri. The shooting prompted protests that roiled the area for weeks. On Nov. 24, the St. Louis County prosecutor announced that a grand jury decided not to indict Mr. Wilson. The announcement set off another wave of protests. In March, the Justice Department called on Ferguson to overhaul its criminal justice system.
