-
Civil War Ends
Robert E. Lee surrenders to General Grant. -
13th Amendment
Abolished slavery. -
Ku Klux Klan is officially formed as a "social club".
-
14th Amendment
Grants citizenship to anyone born in the United States. -
15th Amendment
Race could not be used to prevent a U.S. citizen from voting. -
Civil Rights Act of 1875
Guaranteed equal rights to all Americans regardless of race. -
Tennessee passes the first Jim Crow law
Segregated Railroad Cars -
Supreme Court decides Civil Rights Act of 1875 is unconstitutional.
-
The “Mississippi Plan” was approved by the state constitutional convention.
Created literacy tests to prevent African Americans form voting. -
The Supreme Court issued its Plessy v. Ferguson decision.
Students could be separated by race in public schools. This ruling made Jim Crow laws constitutional. -
President Woodrow Wilson ordered the segregation of all federal government offices, lunchrooms, and restrooms in the United States.
-
Voters in Chicago elected African American Republican Oscar De Priest to the House of Representatives.
He was the first African American in Congress since 1901. -
Nixon v. Condon Supreme Court Case
In Nixon v. Condon, the Supreme Court found that a Texas law preventing African Americans from voting in primary elections was unconstitutional. -
Smith v. Allwright
The Supreme Court, in Smith v. Allwright, decided that whites-only primary elections were unconstitutional. -
Morgan v. Virginia
In Morgan v. Virginia, the Supreme Court declared segregation on interstate buses unconstitutional. -
President Harry Truman issued Executive Order 9981, desegregating the armed forces.
-
Shelley v. Kraemer
In Shelley v. Kraemer, the Supreme Court ruled that state and local governments could not enforce racially restrictive rules/laws. -
Tuskegee Institute reported no lynchings during the year.
For the first time in 71 years, no American had been lynched. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court issued its opinion in Brown v. Board of Education outlawing segregation in public schools. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
Ensured that all African Americans were allowed to vote. -
Civil Rights Act of 1960
Punished anyone who attempted to restrict a person's right to vote. -
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
Three hundred thousand demonstrators gathered in the nation’s capital for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Outlawed all forms of discrimination against African Americans and women, including segregation.