-
Plessy v. Ferguson
Homer Plessy, an African American man, refused to sit in the "black" area of the car for a train ride because he believed his rights allowed him to sit wherever he pleased. This situation went to trial where the supreme court ruled against Plessy because although the two cars, one for whites and one for people of color, were separate they were equal. After this ruling this allowed for many laws to be passed for segregation including the Jim Crows Laws, they were made constitutional. -
Brown v. Board of Education
An African American man named Oliver Brown filed a suit when his daughter was not allowed in the same schools as the white children were to receive their more efficient education.In the case it was founded that the segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. Due to this case the Plessy v. Ferguson case was overturned and schools were interracial. -
Murder of Emmett Till
A 14 year old African American boy was brutally murdered by white men for being accused of "flirting" with and older white woman. His mother allowed for an open casket to prevail society to fight for what was right but the ruling was still found not guilty against the defendants who were clearly pointed out in a segregated courtroom. This murder contributed to societies views on how the two races were very different and were not treated equally in the justice system. -
Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa parks was an African American woman who sat in the seat reserved for white people on the bus ride home, when she was asked to move she did not comply eventually leading to her arrest.Martin Luther King Jr. arranged for a bus boycott after hearing about this to prove a point that the buses should be on a first come first serve basis. Due to the widespread attention the boycotting received, in November of 1956 the supreme court ruled the segregation buses unconstitutional. -
Founding of Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) & Martin Luther King
The SCLC was initiated because of the Rosa Parks incident and Bus boycotting event, their leader was Martin Luther King Jr.. The group was created to allow the African American community to start non-violent ways to put across that they wanted their civil rights. Although the group was initially created for African Americans and their rights today the organization is for people of all race and religion and to protect their rights. -
Little Rock Nine and Central High School
As a result from Brown v. B,O.E. the Little Rock Nine was a group of nine African American students who enrolled in an all white school. The governor Faubus disapproved of this so he called Arkansas' national guard to prevent these nine students from entering the building while the president ordered troops to let these students in school.. Due to the resistance including many other schools a new law called Brown 2 was issued and desegregated all schools which was to be effective immediately. -
Greensboro Sit In
Four African American males staged a peaceful sit in at a diner in Greensboro and refused to be served by anyone who wasn't white. The group stayed until closing and came the next day with even more students from their school but the police could not do anything about it due to their non-violence. Around March the movement of sit ins had spread and many diners became interracial because of this. -
Freedom ride/ Freedom Riders
The Freedom Riders was another protest in which the Congress of Racial Equality organized racial groups to travel by bus through the south to make a point about segregation in transportation.During these bus rides riders were attacked by white supremacists and the KKK. The rides continued until regulations were issued that prohibited the segregation in ways of transportation. -
March On Washington
The march on Washington for jobs and freedom was a major protest that sparked people to listen to the challenges many African Americans faced a century after emancipation. In the march the famous speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. " I have a dream" was made. Due to many people gathering at the march it showed the justice system people cared and they began to listen which allowed room for changes to be made. -
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Freedom Summer
The Student Nonviolent Committee was a group of students who received a voice in the movement. The group was originally a branch of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference but it eventually broke of due to MLK's insistence on non-violence. The group was shifted to a "Black Power" movement rather than a philosophy on non-violence, this opened up doors for young people to be heard. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act had banned segregation and any type of discrimination of employment and public places. The act was proposed because of violent and strict segregation conditions minorities faced. This act was a huge achievement because what many people had been fighting for was finally won, segregation was finally dispersed of. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
While addressing his organization of Afro-American Unity in New York Malcolm X was assassinated. Malcolm's influence gained him many followers and many people who disagreed with his views.The assassination influenced members of SNCC to advocate power for Afro-Americans. -
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act was signed by Johnson in order to eliminate any barriers that restricted African Americans from voting.Although the 15th amendment assured everyone had voting rights, officials would find any little mishap for African Americans in order to restrict their vote. After this Act was passed voting turnouts were improved and even non-English speaking voting rights had been added and protected. -
Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong African American influence and leader for the civil rights movement who was assassinated by a white man,James Earl Ray, at a Memphis motel. The assassination of MLK outraged the community into starting riots and many people who were touched by his leadership mourned. The assassination radicalized black activist which enhanced the growth of Black Power Movements and the Black Panther Party.
