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Brown vs Board of Education of Topeka
This Supreme Court Case determined that schools can not be segregated. The case overturned the ruling of a previous case. The case began the Civil Rights movement. -
Emmett Till was killed
Emmett Till was a teenage African American boy. He was killed for flirting with a white woman. His death brought attention to lynchings of African American people in the South. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person. Rosa Parks was arrested. Her actions spurred a bus boycott which lasted over a year. -
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was established
Martin Luther King, Fred Shuttlesworth, and Charles Steele established the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Martin Luther King was made the organization's first president. The organization played a large role in the Civil Rights Movement. -
The Little Rock Nine
Nine African American students are blocked from entering their Catholic school. Federal troops and the National Guard are sent to escort the students to school. -
Greensboro Sit-Ins
Four Afican American University students sit at a lunch counter where they are refused service. This form of nonviolent protesting played a large role in the Civil Rights movement by attracting attention to segregation. -
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
The creation of this organization gives young African Americans a chance to protest and be a larger part of the Civil Rights movement. It was first implemented at Shaw University by Ella Baker. -
Freedom Riders
Freedom Riders were students who protested the non-enforcement of unsegregated busses in the South. They rode interstate busses into the Southern states. -
First African American Student at Mississipi University
James Meredith becomes the first Afircan American student to join Mississipi University. The president needs to send 5,000 troops because of the riots. -
Letter from Birminingham Jail
Martin Luther King wrote a letter to clergymen in Alabama who withdrew their support of King. The letter expressed King's belief in racial equality and social justice. He criticized the clergymen's previous statement and made it look like they were against racial equality. -
Fire Hoses and Police Dogs Used on Black Protestors
African American protestors in Alabama were attacked by fire hoses and police dogs. The event was televised and brought more public attention to the Civil Rights Movement. -
"I Have a Dream"
Martin Luther King gives his "I Have a Dream" speech. This speech is King's most famous speech and is a major event of the Civil Rights movement. -
A Bomb Explodes at a Baptist Church
On September 15, 1963, a bomb explodes at a Baptist Church. Four young girls are killed in the explosion. The Church was targeted because of its affiliation with the Civil Rights movement. -
African Americans can Vote for Free
The 24th Amendment discards the tax African Americans had to pay to vote. More African Americans now are able to have a voice in government. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This act bans all discrimination.