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Jackie Robinson Joins the Dodgers
Jackie Robinson became the first black person to play in the major leagues once the dodgers signed him. This was a shocking story as well since he became the first to break an unofficial color line in sports segregation. His impact moved a short momentum of equality because it proved blacks could be on the same skill level as whites on teams. -
Executive Order 9981
President Harry S. Truman issues "that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin." This Executive Order abolishes the conduct of colored platoons, and in succession, creates a positive future for desegregation throughout the US. -
Brown v. Topeka Board of Education
A unanimous decision ruled by the Supreme Court overturns previous Plessy v. Ferguson ruling, which instilled the doctrine of "seperate but equal." This resolution in turn declared state laws advocating segregation to be unconstitutional. -
Murder of Emmett Till
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Till went to Money. Mississippi to stay with some relatives. While there, Till went to a grocery store where he, allegedly, was messing with a white woman. This outraged two local men who beat, killed, mutilated, and dumped Till's body into a river. This exploded into shock as the goryness of the situation was not justified. This resulted in many activists expressing their contempt. This would also later inspire Rosa Parks. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
On Dec. 1st, NAACP Montgomery chapter secretary, Rosa Parks was asked to move from her seat on the colored section from the bus to allow room for a white. Parks continued to remain seated and firmly stood her ground. She felt the need to "...know for once and for all what rights I had as a human being and a citizen." To promote this idea, the NAACP decided to challenge her court case, while locally the black community would not support the segregated bus system, which would end positively. -
Letter from Birmingham Jail
After being jailed for coordinating marches and sit-ins, Martin Luther King Jr. is criticized by white clergy men for not allowing the courts to do their job. This provokes King and, consequently, writes a letter to defend himself. King attacks the US and declares "...one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." King's strong voice brings a call to action to the people to stand up for what they believe for, and eliminate discrimination. -
24th Amendment
Previous to this, states had the option to charge citizens to vote in national elections. Southern states adopted this postbellum in order to dissuade poor southern blacks from voting and exercising their citizenship. President Lyndon B. Johnson passes the 24th amendment and ends the use of poll taxes with the arguement that "there can be no one too poor to vote." This grants the civil liberties to blacks by giving them the right to vote with no limitations. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, this act gave the federal government the power to prosecute discrimination in nearly all cases. The civil rights movement is now backed by the government to defend their citizens. -
Voting Rights Act
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act to prevent the limiting of the 15th amendment at the state level. Election officials would hinder black voter turnout, predominately in the south, through literacy tests, misinformation, or impossible tasks. By taking this action, the president increased voter turnout from 6% to 59% to assist black civil liberties. -
Loving v. Virginia
Blacks did not always have the liberty to choose who they loved. Back in most Southern states, interracial marriage was considered an abomination. You could be tried and sent to prison for marrying someone of a different race. This was true until Mildred and Richard, a black woman and a white man, took their case to the Supreme Court. Their story caused a change of law as the justices decided "the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual..."
