-
Montgomery Bus Boycott
This boycott was initiated after Rosa Parks was arrested fr refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. On December 1, 1955 Martin Luther King Jr. proposed a citywide boycott again racial segregation on the public transportation system. AfricanAmericans boycotted by not using public transportation. They boycotted for 381 days. This is important because it would eventually lead to the U.S. supreme court ruling bus segregation as unconstitutional. -
Birmingham Campaign
The goal of this campaign was to end discriminatory economic policies in Birmingham. They boycotted certain business who only hired whit people or maintained segregated bathrooms. They used nonviolent tactics like marches and sit-ins. They wanted to get arrested so jails could become crowded. The campaign was unsuccessful and many signs of segregation were taken down and now became accessible to all people. -
March on Washington
This would be considered the largest political rally for human rights ever in the U.S. around 300,00 people filled the mall in Washington D.C. to protest for jobs and freedom for African Americans. This is where Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous "I have a dream" speech. This march helped with passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
Bloody Sunday
This march was given its name because of all the beatings that police gave to the protestors. The protestors waned to have a peaceful march. The purpose of this protest was to fight the lack of voting rights for African Americans. The protestors planned on marching from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery. The amount of violence brought this protest to an end. This sparked public outrage and boosted support for the civil rights movemnet. -
Chicago Freedom Movement
This was for protesting segregated housing, educational deficiencies, and employment and health disparities based on racism. King led one of the marches on Aug 5, 1966. Many of the protestors were hit with rocks, bottles and fire crackers. Mayor of Chicago, Richard Daley agreed to build public housing in predominately white neighborhoods and make mortgages available regardless of race or neighborhood. This movement inspired the Fair House Act that was passes in 1969. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
On April 4, 1968, MLK was shot dead on the balcony of a motel he was staying in, in Memphis, Tennessee. This lead to an out pour of anger from the Black American community. This period became a period of national mourning. It did help speed the way for equal housing bill which was the last significant legislative achievement of the civil rights era