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Brown vs board of education
It was a Supreme Court court case to end segregation. 9-0 decision- or unanimous, for equal protection under 14th amendment. After the decision, violence and riots broke out with some schools closing. -
Emmet Till
14 year old boy from Chicago, visiting family in Mississippi.
Accused of whistling at a white woman. Roy Bryant and JW Milan kidnap, beat, shot, killed, and then threw Emmets body in the river. Maime Till, emmets mother had an open cast funeral both men stood trial, and found not guilty. Sparks civil rights movement -
Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks refused to move seats and was arrested.
Dec 5, 1955 Bus Boycott begins and lasts 381 days
MLK emerges as the leader of the boycott
1st large scale demonstration-nonviolent in the US
Very successful because 25% of riders are black -
Founding of Southern Christian Leadership (SCLC) & Martin Luther King
Bus boycott to organize protest
MLK was elected President- declined after his assassination
Organized protest around the south to coordinate events
Still exists today -
Little Rock Nine & Central High School
Testing brown v. Board of education decision
9 students vetted to undergo this test
Airborne 101 escorted students to class
Following year all public schools closed (1958)
August 29, 1959- schools reopened -
Greensboro, North Carolina
4 college students sat down at a lunch counter at woolworths to be served. They were refused service. Continued to “sit-in” and others joined. The protest spread to other towns which forced change -
Student nonviolent coordinating committee
Youth group of students remained fiercely independent of the MLK and SCLC, generating their own projects and strategies. The two organizations worked side by side throughout the early years of the civil rights movement. This group was the second half of the freedom riders and were part of the March to Selma -
Freedom Riders
2 week bus trip to the Deep South to deliberately violate Jim Crow laws. It was organized by CORE. The buses were burned and riders beaten by the KKK. November 1, 1961whiye and colored signs are removed from bus stations , train stations and lunch counters. -
March on Washington
It was to advocate for jobs and freedom for the civil and economic rights of African Americans. 250,000 people were in attendance at the Lincoln memorial. MLK was the last to speak, and gave his “I have a dream” speech. 70%-80% of marchers were black. It helped to pass the civil rights act of 1964 -
Civil rights Act of 1964
Cannot be rufused service. Forbids employers and labor unions to discriminate against any person on the ground of race, color, religion, origin, physical disabilit,, or age in job related matters. -
March on Selma/ Bloody Sunday
600 students March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to get the right to vote. They walk 54 miles and were stopped at the bridge. Seen on the national television, LBJ ordered the passage of 1964 voting right law. The 2nd March took place March 21-24 days with 25,000 marchers including MLK. -
Voting rights act 1965
One of the most comprehensive pieces of legislation in history. Blacks were registrating to vote and being elected to public office. Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels