Modern US History 1960s Timeline

14. 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments

Jan 31, 1865

13- Abolished slavery
14- Guaranteed full citizenship status to every US born
15- No male can be denied the right to vote

14. Ku Klux Klan

May 19, 1866

Tried to restore white rule in N. Carolina, TN, GA. Its first leaders were former Confederate soldiers.
Goals: stop Afr. Amer. from voting by using violence and terror
They wore white sheets and masks to hide their identites while torturing and killing their victims. 4-5 million members

14. Plessy v. Ferguson, Jim Crow Laws, DeJure Segregation

Mar 19, 1896

Plessy v Ferguson: segregation was ruled unconstituational, "separate but equal"
Jim Crow: laws that separated blacks and whites in public facilities, transportation, schools
De Jure Segregation: segregation imposed by law, enforced in schools, hospitals, transportation, etc.
De Facto Segregation: not imposed by law but by practice, it was unwritten custom/tradition to be segregated

14. NAACP

Feb 19, 1910

Headed by 7 white Americans, one black, WB DuBois. Formed as a result of the lynching of 2 blacks. It's main goal was to promote equality, remove obstacles in voting, end racial discrimination and segregation, end lynchings.
Memebership consisted of middle-upper class

14. National Urban Leauge

Mar 19, 1911

Founded by Ruth Baldwin.
Goal: assist blacks in migration to the North
Strategies: helped find clean, safe homes; ensure fair treatment at work; encourage factory owners to teach skills

14. Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)

Mar 19, 1942

directed by James Farmer
Goals: bring about change through peaceful confrontation
Strategies: demonstrations, sit-ins, civil disobedience
Memebership: pacifists, interracial

14. Jackie Robinson

Mar 19, 1947

Jackie Robinson became the first Afr. Amer. to play major league baseball, breaking sports segregation barrier. He joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, but endured rough treatment/death threats. He won the hearts of many.

14. 1948 Election & Dixiecrats

Nov 2, 1948

Truman campaigns in Harlem and meets with civil rights leaders. He bans discrimination in federal hiring and integrates the armed forces. Truman v Dewey and Thurmond.
Dixiecrats were a breakaway of the Democratic Party.

14. Brown v Board, Thurgood Marshall

Mar 19, 1954

Linda Brown sued the Topeka Board for unequal facilities for blacks and whites in schools. Thurgood was Brown's lawyer. Court case was concerned with depriving minorties of equal educational opportunities, feeling of inferiority.

14. Montgomery Bus Boycott

Jun 20, 1955

Rosa Parks was asked to give up her seat to a white person , but she refused, knowing full well that she was going against the law and would be arrested. After being arrested, MLK led bus boycotts and found alternative modes of transportation like black taxis. Boycott lasted for 11 months, SCLC was formed, court ruled bus segregation unconstitutional. This showed that peaceful protest and civil disobedience works.

14. Emmett Till

Aug 21, 1955

Emmett went into a store and said "bye baby" to a white woman as he left the store. Later that night a man with a shot gun comes to Emmett's cousin, Curtis Jones' grandfathers' house looking for him. Emmett was taken by the man and his body was found in the Talehatchee River so dismantled he could only be recognized by a ring with his initials.
The young were deeply affected by this and it created national attention. The picture of his corpse made an example of harsh treatment of blacks in South

14. SCLC

Mar 20, 1957

Southern Christian Leadership Conference founded by MLK and influenced by Ghandi's peaceful protests
Goals: to shift focus of civil rights movement to the South
Strategies: boycotts, pamphlets, marches, civil disobedience, nonviolence training/provocation.
Led by African American clergymen from South with heavy middle class support

14. Little Rock Crisis

Mar 20, 1957

9 black students were sent to Little Rock high school as means of integration, but a mob formed and every rioted against the students. Gov. Orval Forbus sent state troops to protect the students but they didnt do anything to stop the whites from attacking them. Eisenhower sent troops in to protect them.
Key People: Elizabeth Eckford, Minnie Jean Brown, Earnest Green (1st black to graduate HS)
Important for the young generation and social injustices and also got fed govt involved.

15. Kennedy's Presidency

Jan 20, 1960

15. The New Frontier

Jan 20, 1960

14. SNCC

Mar 20, 1960

Student Nonviolence Coordinating Committee
Encouraged by Ella Baker after sit ins
orginally led to Robert Moses and Anne Moody
Goals: get young Afr. Amer. active in struggle and shift in focus
Strategies: gave young people chance to make decisions, more willing to resort to extreme measures of nonviolence

14. Greensboro & Nashville Sit-ins

Jul 20, 1960

Key People: Diane Fish, Jim Lawson, Gov. Ben West, Ella Baker, college students
4 black college students sat at a lunch counter for whites and weren't being served, so they stayed there until closing. They were beaten and had food spilled on them. They were arrested for disorderly conduct, disturbance of peace, but more people just kept sitting down.

15. Kennedy-Nixon Debate

Sep 26, 1960

15. 1960 Election

Nov 9, 1960

Integration of Ole Miss

Jan 31, 1961

James Meredith applied to Ole Miss but got rejected. He filed a lawsuit claiming discrimination, Ole Miss was ordered to admit Meredith. Gov. Ross Barnett declared that Meredith could not enroll and physically blocks the admissions entrance. Kennedy sends fed marshals to protect Meredith. Riots erupt. Meredith graduates August 1963.

15. Peace Corps Proposed

Mar 1, 1961

15. Alliance for Progress Proposed

Mar 13, 1961

14. Freedom Rides

Mar 20, 1961

Nonviolent volunteers chose to ride interstate buses to South. They encountered police, protesters, and mobs that threw a firebomb at one bus in Alabama. Riders encountered more radical segregationists as they headed deeper into south. Kennedy creates the Interstate Commerce Commision to ban segregation in interstate travel. Kept their hopes up through singing.

14. Albany Movement

Mar 20, 1961

Blacks at this point, wanted segregation to be banned from everything.Tensions between organizations like SNCC and SCLC. People begin utilizing the method of filling up jail cells. MLK gets arrested but a mysterious person bails him out. King left confused and did not know what to do- he left the town and after, his absence was less significant for the people. There was not real success because goals were too broad. This mobilized entire community to take action.

15. Warren Court Rules of Rights of the Accused

Mar 29, 1961

15. Bay of Pigs Invasion

Apr 17, 1961

15. Berlin Crisis

Jun 4, 1961

15. The Other America Published

Jan 1, 1962

15. John Glenn Orbits the Earth

Feb 20, 1962

15. Baker v. Carr

Mar 26, 1962

15. Engel v. Vitale

Jul 25, 1962

15. Cuban Missile Crisis

Oct 14, 1962

14. Birmingham Confrontation

Mar 20, 1963

"Bombingham". SCLC tried to desegregate downtown stores- MLK led a demonstration that got him jailed for marching. Strategy was to use kids instead of adults to march. 700 children arrested, 16th St. Baptist Church was meeting spot. Eugene Bull Conor decided to get police to use water hoses and dogs to attack kids. Got (inter)national attention. JFK proposes Civil Rights bill, lacked mandate. First time blacks fought back-riots.

14. March on Washington

Mar 20, 1963

20,000 people of all races marched to Lincoln memorial (symbolic of slavery ending). The goal was to influence Kennedy in passing the Civil Rights Bill by marching to support him. JFK was assassinated so bill was unable to be passed, but LBJ did afterwards. MLK gives his "I have a Dream" speech.

14. Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing

Mar 20, 1963

This was the place where the children met for the Birmingham March. A bomb exploded on the church and 4 chilren were killed between ages 9-13. This event was important because if blacks had the right to vote without obstacles, they could stop the killing of kids; they also did not retaliate violently.

15. Equal Pay Act Passed

Jun 10, 1963

15. Kennedy Assassination

Nov 22, 1963

15. Lyndon Johnson Sworn in

Nov 22, 1963

15. Warren Commission Formed

Nov 27, 1963

15. Ecomomic Opportunity Act Passed

Mar 16, 1964

14. Civil Rights Act 1964

Mar 20, 1964

Federal courts have more power in enforcing the law, no longer only local courts with power. No more racial discrimination anywhere, whether public or private business. Act removes all obstacles from voting rights. Equal employment/treatment for everyone. Strom Thurmond holds a Filibuster in opposition to Civil Rights Act 1957.

14. Malcolm X

Mar 21, 1964

He grew up with a bad childhood and got involved in crime and drugs. Found inspiration from Elijah Muhammad in Nation of Islam. Left Nation of Islam in 1964 and makes trip to Mecca, comes back as a changed person. Not as radical black power as he was before; became more accepting to King's ideas.

14. Democratic National Convention 1964

Mar 21, 1964

Held in AC, NJ. The Mississippi Freedom Democratic party showed up to the convention to try and represent MS to challenge the legitimacy of the white-only US Democratic Party. At convention Fannie Lou Hammer spoke for the MFDP and gained her a reputation as an electrifying speaker and constant activist of civil rights. Johnson saw the MFDP as bad for Democrat party as a whole. MFDP was offered 2 seats but turned it down.

15. Great Society Proposed

May 7, 1964

14. Freedom Summer

Jun 21, 1964

Took place in Philadelphia, MS. The problem was voting obstacles for blacks. They had to fill out questionaires and recite things in front of white voting registration people. All whites who registered passed. Youth of the north became active in civil rights movement by helping out the blacks: volunteers came down to provide adequate education, health clinics, etc. 60,000 blacks were able to register. 3 men went missing, got national attention: Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, Michael Schwerner.

15. 1964 Election

Nov 3, 1964

14. Selma March

Mar 21, 1965

MLK joined fefforts to help the Selma people with rioting rights. Tensions between SNCC and SCLS. Malcolm X supported and warned King and if voting rights arent passed it will turn violent. Planned to march 54 miles to Montgomery, AL. 600 marched; Gov Wallace ordered march to be stopped, had police birgade at end of bridge with gas bombs, people were beaten. It was nationally televised leading to LBJ addressing to pass the voting rights bill. A second march held with 3200, had national guard.

14. Government Investigation of Riots

Mar 21, 1965

1965- McCone Commission: targetted what happened in Watts; debated whether they were riots or protests. declared that Watts wrere riots not protests, but acknowledged that there was inequality w/black community
1968- Kerner Commission: investigating riots in general; acknowledged tahat racism was a major problem and America was becoming 2 separate unequal nations. Vietnam changed Johnson's views, making LBJ unwilling to address those issues.

14. Watts Riots

Jul 21, 1965

Took place in LA, CA. 34 people died, caused much damage. Riots targeted businesses that were not treating blacks nicely. The riots were a wake up call for King, sending a message that other parts of the nation was struggling too. These urban riots became very dangerous. Federals had to come to Newark and Detroit (43 dead).

15. Medicare and Medicaid Passed

Jul 30, 1965

14. Black Panthers

Mar 21, 1966

Formed by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale, who were both marxists. They built upon Mao Zedong's ideologies- "power flows from the barrel of a gun". Black Panthers created child care centers and supported the black communities. They had a 10point Program. "Black is Beautiful"-culturally moving. King saw Panthers as bad for the movement.

14. Stokely Carmichael

Mar 21, 1966

Gains noteriety for radical black power during a march in Greenwood, MS by chanting "We shall over RUN". He coins the idea of black power. He encourages SNCC members to carry guns as "self defense".

14. Civil Rights Act 1968

Mar 21, 1968

Title 8: further desegregated, fixed housing laws, no discrimination; introduced affirmative action- reachign out to minorities
Rap-Brown section: made it illegal to use public facilities for protesting, ultimately this was created to stop organizing and reduce the protesting abilities of blacks to prevent riots, etc. This was influenced by Strom Thurmond