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First slaves in America
First slaves arrive in Jamestown, Virginia -
Dred Scott Decision
Said that slaves were property and could thus be moved in all the territories. Also said that because slaves weren't citizens they were not allowed to sue -
Civil War begins
Confederate troops fire on Fort Sumter -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation freed all the slaves in the Confederate States -
Period: to
Reconstruction
The rebuilding of the South during and after the Civil War and ensuring freed slaves were treated equally. During this time, African Americans could vote and some were elected to government positions. -
Civil War ends
General Robert E. Lee surrenders his army at Appomattox Court House -
13th Amendment ratified
The 13th amendment banned slavery -
14th Amendment
The 14th amendment granted citizenship to all freed slaves and all those born in the United States. -
15th Amendment
The 15th amendment gave African American men the right to vote. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Said that segregation was constitutional on the basis that the separate place were equal. -
Birth of a Nation is Released
This racist movie was wildly popular in the US and arguably is responsible for the creation of many negative stereotypes about African Americans -
Period: to
Great Migration
Mass migration of African Americans out of the South and into major urban areas across the nation -
Desegregation of the Military
President Truman desegregated the military through an executive order -
Brown v. Topeka Board of Education
Banned segregation because separate is inherently unequal -
Period: to
Civil Rights Movement
Push for the rights of African Americans -
Desegregation of Little Rock High School
The school refused to desegregate the school so President Eisenhower sent in the Army so escort the children to class -
Gideon v. Wainwright
Government must provide an attorney to defend you in accused of a crime. -
Civil Rights Act 1964
Banned labor discrimination based on race -
Voting Rights Act 1965
Removed legal barriers causing the disenfranchisement of the African American population such as poll taxes and literacy tests -
Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated
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Civil Rights Act of 1968
Banned housing discrimination based on race -
War on Drugs Begins
President Nixon declares drugs to be public enemy number 1 -
First For-Profit Prisons
CCA or Corrections Corporation of America is the first system of for-profit prisons in the US and are responsible for the growing prison population and the high rates of incarceration in the US. -
Michael Brown is Killed
His death at the hands of a white police officer caused national protests and began the Black Lives Matter movement
