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Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education was in Washington, D.C. The court case that allowed separate but equal facilities was Plessy v. Ferguson. Oliver Brown, a parent of a child that was denied access to attending one of Topeka's white schools. Brown said that the racial segregation in Topeka was in violation of the constitution because black schools were no where close to to equal to white schools. Brown v. Board of Education ruled that separate schools for black students was unconstitutional. -
The Death Of Emmett Till
A 14 year old named Emmett Till was visiting family in Mississippi from Chicago when he was murdered. Till was murdered for flirting with a white women by Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam. The duo was found innocent of the charges in court but admitted to it after the hearing. -
Rosa Parks
In Montgomery, Alabama a women names Rosa Parks was riding the segregated bus. When she got on she sat in the middle of the bus. As more and more people got on the bus the "white only" seat were taken up , so the driver asked Mrs. Parks row to move. Rosa Parks decided that she was not going to move because she was not going to put up with it anymore. The enraged bus driver has her arrested. After this event all African Americans decided to boycott buses in Montgomery. -
Supreme Court Outlaws Segregation on Buses
After an 11 month bus boycott used by African Americans to protest segregation on buses in Montgomery, Alabama the Supreme Court ruled that segregated seating on buses in Montgomery and throughout Alabama was unconstitutional. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 which was signed by President Eisenhower, stated that the voting rights between African Americans and Whites were equal. Therefor this act said that African American did not have to take any type of test ti be able to vote. -
Events at Little Rock, Arkansas
In Little Rock, Arkansas nine African American children enrolled in Central High School. Central High School had previously been an all White school. Before their first day at the new school had even started they were met at the school with a huge angry white mob. After the Governor of Arkansas orded the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the kids from going to school, President Eisenhower ordered that guard be place throughout the school to keep the nine children safe. -
Attack of Freedom Riders
Black and white freedom riders would ride on interstate buses into segregated states to protest. These protests were often organized by the Students Nonviolence Coordinating Committee (SNCC) or the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). -
James Meredith Enrolls at Ole Miss
When James Meredith tried to enroll at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) his application was accepted but then later denied once his race was known. Meredith filed a suit alleging discrimination. When the Supreme Court reviewed the suit they were on Meredith's side. Meredith tried to enroll again but was met with riots. James Meredith finally enrolled at Ole Miss on October 1st, 1962 -
Medgar Evers Assassination
Medgar Evers was a civil rights leader who organized boycotts, demonstrations and voter-registration efforts. Because Evers had such a high position in the NAACP many threats were mad toward him from those who were against discrimination. Evers was standing in his driveway at his home in Jackson, Mississippi when he was shot in the back by a white man named Byron De La Beckwith. Evers died a few hours later. -
The March on Washington
The purpose of the March on Washington was for jobs and freedom which included participation from around 200,000 demonstrators. The March on Washington is most famous more the I Have a Dream speech which was delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. which had a theme of racial justice and equality. -
Youth Killed in Wave of Racist Violence
After the bombing in Birmingham, Alabama that claimed the lives of a few girls, Virgil Ware and his brother set out to find a bike to use in the paper run. Virgil Ware was unaware of the bombing. Two white teenagers, Michael Lee Farley and Larry Joe Sims thought that it would be funny to scare the two boys by shooting a handgun. The shot that was meant to only scare the boys ended up killing Virgil Ware. -
Poll Tax Outlawed
The United States ratified the 24th Amendment to the Constitution which made poll tax in federal elections illegal. Before poll tax was outlawed even if you were of age to vote you couldn't vote unless you paid a fee which many African Americans couldn't afford. -
Civil Right Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed by President Lyndon Johnson. This act stated that discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin was illegal in the United States of America. -
March to Selma
The March from Selma to Montgomery was organized to register black voters in the South. Marchers were met with violence from authorities. After threes days of around the clock walking the marchers made it to the state capitol (Montgomery) which rose awareness that black Southerners faced. -
Congress Passes Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson and was amimg to overcome legal barriers that prevented African Americans from the right to vote under the 15th Amendment. This act bans racial discrimination in voting practices. -
Thurgood Marshall in the Supreme Court
After attending law school in Washington D.C. Thurgood Marshall became Chief Counsel for the NAACP and played a key role in many court cases as a lawyer such as Brown v. Board of education. I think that when Thurgood Marshall was appointed the first black Justice was monumental because it shows that in the court there isn't any inequality and whites will not be favored over blacks anymore. -
The Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The night before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated he delivered a speech at the Mason Temple Church in Memphis, Tennessee to support a sanitation workers strike. During the speech it seemed King was predicting the events to follow saying, "I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you...” The next morning King was on his hotel balcony when he was shot in the neck. King's death only widened the gap between whites and African Americans, equality seemed farther off than ever.
