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Brown vs Board of Education
This declared that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional and violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. Earl Warren said that the doctrine has no place on schools. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks would not give up her spot on a bus for a white person. This led to her arrest and the major spark of the civil rights movement. -
Malcom X
Malcom Little was born in Omaha Nebraska, had a difficult childhood. He went to prison and came out a changed man. -
SCLC is created
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference set out to eliminate segregation and encourage Africans to vote. Dr. King served as the SCLS's first president. -
Little Rock High School
In Arkansas, governor Faubus blocks the desegregation of Litle Rock High School. This sparks a wave of violence, which causes Eisenhower to send troops to the school for the rest of the school year. -
SNCC is created
Many African American students joined this, as well as many whites as well. They played a key role in desegregating public places. -
The freedom riders are created
They boarded buses going south and arrived in Anniston, Birmingham and Montgomery. When they arrived they were attacked by angery mobs, with bus windows being broken and tires slashed. -
James Meredeth
James Meredith tries to register at the University of Mississippi. Riots force President Kennedy to send troops. -
I Have a Dream
Dr. King delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech in DC during the March on Washington. This is one of the most iconic moments from the civil rights movement. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This was the most comprehensive civil rights law Congress had ever enacted. This gave the federal government broad power to prevent racial discrimination in a nember of areas. -
Selma March
Dr. King and the SCLC lead a march in Selma Alabama to campaigne for voting rights. Only three percent of the city's African Americans were registered to vote, although they made up the majority of the cities population. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act let the U.S. attorney general to sent federal examiners to register voters. This led to more than 250,000 African Americans to register to vote. -
Dr. King is assassinated
Dr. King was shot on his hotel balcony in Memphis. This sparked mourning and roits in over 100 cities.