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14th Amendment
Four primary clauses make up the US Constitution's 14th Amendment, which was approved in 1868. It specifies who is a US citizen, ensures due process of law, demands equal protection under the law, and forbids governments from restricting the rights or privileges of US citizens. The amendment's main goal was to safeguard people's civil rights and freedoms, especially those of formerly owned slaves. -
Plessy vs.Ferguson
Homer Plessy willfully broke the law by sitting in a "whites-only" railroad car in the case. Plessy claimed that the legislation was unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, but the Supreme Court disagreed with him 7-1. The Supreme Court adopted the "separate but equal" doctrine, which held that segregation was legal as long as facilities set aside for various races were of an equal standard of quality. -
Brown vs Board of Education
The case questioned whether racial segregation in public schools was constitutional. Racial segregation in public schools was declared illegal by the Court. The ruling ruled that racially separated schools were fundamentally unequal and violated the rights of African American, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson. The decision, which challenged racial discrimination and segregation in education and other facets of American culture was a significant turning point in the civil rights movement. -
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Little Rock 9
African American students known as "The Little Rock Nine" enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas in 1957. However, when they sought to enter the school, they encountered ferocious protest and violence from white segregationist groups, and the Arkansas National Guard. The Little Rock Nine overcame considerable obstacles to enter the school and later became icons of the civil rights movement and motivated others fight for racial equality and desegregation in the United States. -
Civil Rights Act 1957
African Americans in the south were subjected to discrimination and voter suppression; the legislation attempted to preserve their right to vote. It enabled federal participation in situations where state or local authorities failed to safeguard African Americans' voting rights and established the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division to investigate and prosecute civil rights offenses. -
Executive Order 10730
President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10730 in 1957. The president was able to guarantee the safety and implementation of the court-ordered integration of the school thanks to the executive order that federalized the Arkansas National Guard and placed it under federal authority. In response to state reluctance, this signaled the federal government's action to preserve civil rights and compel desegregation.