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Plessey v. Ferguson
30 year old, Homer Plessey was jailed for sitting in the "White" section of the car. He was 7/8ths white and 1/8th black, also known as an "octoroon" however he was still considered black. In the end, the decision was 7 to 1 still enforcing the law "Separate but Equal". In January of 1897 Homer Plessey pleaded guilty and paid the fine. -
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was born on July 2, 1908 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was a Civil Rights Activist, Lawyer, Judge and was appointed to the Supreme Court Justice in 1967. In 1934, he was a part of the NAACP in the Baltimore branch. -
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The NAACP is an African-American civil rights organization. Its fundamental beliefs are to create and enforce racial equality. Headed by Thurgood Marshall and Charles Houston to enforce desegregation. -
Malcolm X
Malcolm X was an African American Muslim Minister and human rights activist. He was known as the greatest and most influential African Americans in history. He was assassinated by gunshots on February 21, 1965. -
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist Minister and social activist. He fought for the equality of African Americans. He was a part of the events like the Montogomery Boycott, and the March on Washington. -
Medgar Evers
Medgar Evans was president of the Regional Council of Negro Leadership (RCNL) which was a civil rights and pro-self help organization. He applied to the segregated university of Mississippi, which his application was immediately rejected because of his skin color. Later Evers became the NAACP's first field officer in Mississippi. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Brown v. Board of Education was the case of a colored 3rd grader, Linda Brown who had to walk 1 mile to the colored school while the white school was only 7 blocks away. The NAACP argued that segregated schools inferred that colored children were inferior to non-colored children making segregated schools unequal. On May 17, 1954 the Supreme Court ruled the de-segregation of schools across America. -
Rosa Parks
On December 1, 1995 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. Seh was arrested and convicted of breaking the Jim Crow Laws. Leading after that event, 90% of colored Montgomery citizens who ride the bus, did not do so. The boycott lasted 381 days. -
The Montogomery Bus Boycott
Due to the arrestor Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955 it led to a 13 month boycott of all transportation systems. 90% of Montgomery's colored citizens stayed off the buses. As a result, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation on the bus as unconstitutional. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
One of the most significant particiapants in the Civil Rights Movement. After the bus boycott, the SCLC immediately formed. Martin Luther King Jr. became the spokesperson for the group. -
The Little Rock Nine
Little Rock High School, now known as Central High School National Historic Site was in a dilemma of whether to segregate or not. Governor Orval Faubus, denied access to those students, thus leading President Eisenhower to send federal troops to protect the students. -
Sit-ins
The SCLC helped organize groups of colored students to participate in sit-ins. Continously, students would be arrested by the police, but that did not stop them from continuing what they did. -
Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee
The SNCC was one of the organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement. The SNCC instead of focusing primarily on integrating coloreds into everday life situations, they focused more on bringing structural changes in America itself. -
Freedom Riders
Freedom rides were meant to help desegregate public transportation systems. The even occurred when 7 blacks and 6 whites left Washington D.C.'s on two buses to travel down to the core of the South to test out the Supreme Courts ruling in the Boynton v. Virginia court case. -
James Meredith
He spent nine years in the Army Air Force. he returned home and wanted to go back to college. He applied to an all White college in Mississippi however his application was disregarded because of his race. Altough, at the time, all schools were to be desegregated. He filed a suit of discrimination. Which later ruled in his favor. -
Fannie Lou Hammer
Fannie Lou Hammer was an American voting rights activist and civil rights leader. She spoke to the Credentials Committee about the injustices of racism in Mississippi. A year later, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. -
March on Washington
There was about 250,000 people. CORE, Martin Luther King Jr., SCLC, and the NAACP all advocated for civil rights legislation; elimination of racial segregation in public schools; protection for demonstrators against police brutality; a major public-works program to provide jobs; the passage of a law prohibiting racial discrimination in public and private hearing. -
Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer was a highly publicized campaign in the core of the South during the summer of 1964. Thousands of civil rights activists. went to the South to try and end the political disenfranchisement of African Americans. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawed any forms of discrimination against racial. ethnic, national and religious minorities. It also ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in school. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the disenfranchisement of African Americans. -
Black Panthers
In Oakland, California, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party for self defense. Their program was to revolutionary establishment of economic, social, and political equality, in gender and color. Malcolm X, was their main leader and the group practiced his main beliefs. -
Martin Luther King JR Assassination
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968 at 6:01 P.M. The bullet went through his right cheek, through his neck and stopped at his shoulder blade. At 7:05 P.M. he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
