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Brown v Board of Education
Oliver Brown, was refused to enroll in the school district in Topeka, Kansas because she was black. Many African Americans were being rejected all over the country. Oliver Brown went to court for this, and the court ruled one of the most important points of the decade. "Separate but equal". This saying "Separate but equal" shows that they are allowing black people to be segregated, but it doesn't matter because they aren't equal. -
White Citizens Council
The white citizens council (WCC) formed as a white supremacist group who had the motto “States’ rights - racial integrity”. This group of right winged radicals who wanted to continue to segregate African Americans in the south and maintain white supremacy, was formed shortly after the Supreme Court ruling of Brown V. Board of Education. The group gained traction with over 60,000 people joining it and was constantly causing harm and trying to shut down the civil rights movement in the south. -
Brown v Board of Education II
This case was a follow up to the previous Brown case. Many all white public schools did not follow the rules made during the previous Brown case. The verdict of the new case was to order those schools to integrate “with all deliberate speed”. They also set out rules for what schools need to do in order to desegregate. -
Lynching of Emmett Till
A boy from Chicago named Emmet Till was visiting his cousins in Mississippi. Till was in town at some convenience store. There he decided to flirt with some random white lady. Her name was Carolyn Bryant. Her husband, Roy, and his half brother abducted till. They nearly beat him to death, and then shot and killed him. After all of that, they tied him to a cotton gin. This story erupted and enraged African Americans, they wanted some change. -
Montgomery bus boycott
The Montgomery bus boycotts took place in Montgomery, Alabama for over one year. The reason these boycotts were necessary was the racial segregation on the buses weren’t fair for African American because they were paying the same price but had to sit at the back of the bus, or give up theri spot to a white person if the bus was full. The boycott was incredibly successful, they had to make a change. The supreme court ruled that segregation in buses was illegal. -
Rosa Parks Arrested
Rosa Parks was an African American woman riding the city bus. She decided to sit in one of the seats reserved for whites. When a white man came up and asked for her seat, she said no. She was then arrested that day for violating a city law requiring racial segregation on public buses. -
Martin Luther King House Bombing
Martin Luther King's home was bombed by white supremist. Shortly after Rosa Parks was arrested and the bus boycotts began, MLK took the position as leader of the MIA (Montgomery Improvement Association) which put a target on him by hate groups. When his house was bombed, MLK was not home, but his 2 daughters were and luckily were unharmed. The Bombing was used as fuel to file a lawsuit against Montgomery buses and policy that directly attacked segregation on the buses. -
Bombing of Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth
On December 25, 1956, Ku Klux Klan members bombed the house of Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth. On this christmas day, Shuttlesworth was home alone with 2 other church workers. The bomb luckily didn’t harm anyone, but destroyed his house and part of the church as well. Shuttleswroth was a very popular target for muder attempts by the KKK because as a civil rights leader he challenged all the nasty Jim Crow laws of the South. Throughout his life, the KKK tried to kill him 6 times. -
SCLC Founded
The SCLC was a civil rights group that formed around the same time that the Montgomery bus boycott ended. The Southern Christain Leadership Conference's aim was to make civil rights in America better through nonviolence. This group was the home of MLK, Ralph Albernathy, Fred Shuttlesworth, and many other important civil rights activists. -
SNCC Formed
They were one of the key Civil Rights Organization amongst all the chas in the 1960s. They took the path of using youth nonviolent protesters to lead their campaigns against segregation and other forms of racism. SNCC was involved with student-led sit ins, the freedom rides, and Freedom Summer. They coordinated some on the most revolutionary moments and protests in the fight for civil rights. -
Greensboro Sit Ins
The Greensboro sit-ins were a civil rights movement. A group of young African Americans decided to go into a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro North Carolina. They were denied service because of the color of their skin, but refused to leave. This action spread amongst college towns down south, and was very impactful. -
Freedom Rides
It was a series of political protests against segregation. Black and Whites (seven black and six white) rode together in busses through the south as a protest. As the buses made their way through the south, they were experiencing violence everywhere. But when they got to Alabama their bus’s tires were slashed, and the bus was firebombed and the passengers were badly beaten. This got national attention that there was this much of a problem down south. -
White mob attacks federal marshals in Montgomery
On May 20, 1961 federal marshals were called in and needed to stop the violence occurring in Montgomery Alabama. When the freedom riders arrived in Montgomery, they were welcomed by thousands of white supremist “mobbers” who attacked the riders with baseball bats and clubs. The federal government was called in to protect the lives of the freedom riders and restore order, but when they arrived the white mod didn’t stop and even attacked the federal marshals -
Albany Georgia “failure”
The Albany movement wasn't seen as much much of a success and is considered, by many, “a failure”. The Albany movement was a desegregation movement as well as a voters rights movement led by SNCC and the NAACP. The mission is considered a failure because it brought no change , and it was still very segregated with no protection of voters rights. Many leaders of the movement realized their faults and claimed it helped them better their protests in the future. -
Bailey v Patterson
At first, the case was to be in front of a 3 judge district court. But then the African Americans from Jackson, Mississippi appealed straight to the supreme court. (specifically warren court, a court designated for civil rights issues). The Africa Americans won the case, and it was decided that they cannot be mistreated on the transportation systems because of color. -
MLK goes to jail in Birmingham
MLK declared that Alabama was the most segregated in the nation. He was arrested and put into jail in Birmingham Alabama for protesting Black segregation. When he got arrested, he decided to write a letter called Letter from Birmingham Jail. It defends his protesting strategy and suggests that what he is doing is necessary to get some kind of change in civil rights. Especially because it will take forever to just fight through the courts. -
Equal Pay Act
This act was put into place in order to prohibit wage discrmination based on gender. It was signed by John F. Kennedy, as an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards act. It was praised as a “significant step forward” but many people thought there was much to achieve in order for true equality. -
Kennedy sends in Federal Troops
President Kennedy ordered and federalized National Guard troops to go to the University of Alabama’s campus. Kennedy sent these troops to pressure the governor of Alabama to change his public school decision of segregation. Prior to troops being sent, Ross Barnet didn’t allow a black man to attend the University of Alabama, even after Kennedy tried to sway him. After the troops arrived the Governor, Ross Barnett, had to allow African American students to attend the University of Alabama. -
Assassination of Medgar Evers
Medger Evers was a field secretary for the NAACP, he was also a WW2 veteran. He went around inspiring poor African Americans to vote. He was one of the main people who helped blow up the Emmet Till lynching case, a very important case in the Civil Right Era. He was later gunned down outside his home in Mississippi by Byron De La Beckwith. -
March on Washington “I have a Dream”
It was a intteracial march by 250,000 blacks and whites. Marchers walked through Washington D.C. protesting all kinds of black segregation. MLK then gave his most famous “I have a Dream” speech. He declared that the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence said that America is a land of freedom, and that all men are created equal. -
Bombing of a church in Birmingham
Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, was bombed as a hate crime against African Americans. Four members of a white supremist group (KKK), bombed this African American church, killing 4 young girls (ages:11,14,14,14). This was an act of terror against a predominantly Black church, which meant that many civil rights meetings took place here. This act led to protest in Birmingham, and when the Alabama Governor Wallace sent out troops to stop the protest 2 more young black men were killed. -
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy, the 35th U.S. President, was in Dallas for a campaign visit. oKennedy's driver took him along a parade path. Then of nowhere, Lee Harvey Oswald rang out 3 shots after turning past Texas School Book Depository, hitting Kennedy. He was rushed to hospital, where just 30 minutes later he was pronounced dead -
Freedom Summer
Also known as the Mississippi Summer Project, was a volunteer campaign that tried to push to increase the number of registered black voters in Mississippi. Voter registration was not impacted all that much. While 17,000 black people in Mississippi tried to register to vote, only 1,200 were successful. Despite this, the Freedom Summer did make more than 40 freedom schools serving 3,000 kids. -
XXIV (24th) Amendment
The 24th Amendment was passed to prohibit Congress and the states from having the right to put a poll tax on voting polls for federal elections. This was a tactic used to prevent African Americans from voting in elections, abolishing it gave African Americans freedom to vote without poll tax. -
Killing of Goodman, Chaney, Schwerner
Goodman, Chaney, and Schwerner were all involved actvists in the civil rights movement. All three were affiliated with the Racial Equality Congress, and the Federated Organizations Committee. The three men traveled to Mississippi to meet with members of a black church that had been burned down. After leaving, the three were arrested for speeding, and escorted to jail, where they were held for hours. They were then taken to a different location and shot. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act was first proposed by John F. Kennedy. The act would end the segregation of races in a public place. It also banned employment discrimmination based off of race, color, religion, sex, or nationality. Initially, the power given to enforce the act were very weak, but they increased over the years. This act is considered as one of the most important moments of the civil rights movements . -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act was put into place in order to overcome the legal obstacles that were set in place in order to prevent African American people from voting. President Lyndon B Johnson signed this act, which gave African American people the freedom to exercise their right to vote, as stated in the 15th amendment. It banned the use of literacy tests, and provided federal oversight for voter registration. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
After being firebombed, Malcom X was forced to move to New York. The firebomb incident was blamed by Malcom to be his former brothers of the Nation of Islam (NOI). He used to be a leader for the NOI but after being suspended from the group, and his trip to Mecca, he decided to split off. When Malcom was at one of his new group. the Afro-American Unity, meetings he was shot and killed by possibly members of the NOI. It is still a mystery to this day on who really killed Malcom X. -
Selma to Montgomery March
1000 civil rights activists marched along the U.S. route 80 to protest and demand change in politics and policies. They demanded change to the southern state legislators who had passed and upheld a series of laws that discriminated and disenfranchised millions of African American. MLK the SNCC and the SCLC led these people to steps of the capitol in Montgomery after marching for over 50 miles. It was the demonstration that directly led to the passing of the Voting Rights act of 1965. -
Black Panthers Formed
The Black Panthers formed as a self defense group. They had strong views and were revolutionary with their ideas of black nationalism, socialism, and armed self defense. The party would arm individuals and go on “Cop Watch” and have a second line of defense for those being brutally beaten by cops (because of race). They were influenced by Malcom X, and he taught them that with a gun, they can recapture their dreams and bring them back to reality. -
Loving v Virginia
This court case got rid of the ban on interracial marriage in the US. The marriage was between a white man named Richard Loving, and a black woman named Mildred Loving living in Virginia. The courts ruled that banning itneracial marriage was unconstitutional, the lifting of this ban was a turning point in abolishing Jim Crow Laws. -
Minneapolis Riots
Minneapolis riots took place after racial tensions in North Minneapolis grew too strong. In North Minneapolis, African American men and women demanded change after long standing descrimation was still an issue after Minnesota legislators said there would be change. These protesters Vandalized, rioted, and burned down local businesses to show how poorly treated they were. This alarmed Minnesota as well as the national government which made them send in 150-250 national guard troops. -
Detroit Riots
African American men and women rioted in the streets to demand change of these problems: African American unemployment/underemployment, extreme poverty, racism, police brutality, educational opportunity. The way the Detroitians brought about change was an extreme protest all throughout Detroit. Thousands of men and women rioted. National guard troops were sent to barricade the attacks, and after the 5 days of protest, 43 people died, 342 injured and almost 1,400 buildings were burned. -
Eisenhower sends in Federal Troops
September 23rd 1967, President Eisenhower sent federal troops to Little Rock HighSchool, as requested by the mayor of Little Rock, in order to protect students and integration. Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne division to Little Rock Arkansas to keep the place under order because of the recent change to make public schools integrated. The main people these troops were sent to protect were the Little Rock 9 who were 9 African American students that attended the school. -
Assassination of MLK
The SNLC was called down to Tennessee, MLK included, to support a strike about sanitation in the work place. While MLK was staying at the Loraine motel in memphis, he went out to the balcony and was shot and killed (39 years old) by a sniper bullet. He was pronounced dead an hour later, despite the efforts to rush him to the hospital. After lots of research and investigation, James Earl Ray was arrested for killing MLK. Ray escaped from prison in 1967. -
Assassination of Robert “Bobby” Kennedy
Bobby Kennedy was a very established US senator from New York. He later said that he will be running for president in 1968. While staying at the Los Angelous Ambassador Hotel, he was gunned down by a Palestine immigrant named, Sirhan SIrhan.
