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Little Rock Nine
In 1957, on the fourth of September, nine black students from Little Rock Arkansas arrived for school in the heavily segregated area. Angry segregationists filled the streets and walkways up to the school. White students walked out of the building, much to the approval of the adults. The District ordered the governor, Orval Faubus, to stop interfering with desegregation, but he refused. -
Eisenhower gets involved
On September 24, 1957, Eisenhower ordered 1,000 troops of the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock and federalized 10,000 members of the Arkansas National Guard. By 5:00 A.M., paratroopers carrying fixed bayonets had surrounded the school. Federal troops picked up the Little Rock Nine from the home of Bates and escorted them to school. -
Greensboro Sit-in
On Feb. 1, 1960 four black freshmen at North Carolina A&T State University, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, Ezell Blair, Jr., and David Richmond, took seats at the segregated lunch counter of F. W. Woolworth's in Greensboro, N.C. They were refused service and sat peacefully until the store closed. The next week, they returned with 25 more students, and again were denied. Their courage sparked similiar sit-ins acorss the nation. -
Chaos at University of Georgia
A federal district court orders the University of Georgia to admit African American students Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter. After a huge riot on campus takes place, the students are suspensded. However, the court would later reinstante them for a full time education. -
First Black Student at Ole Miss
James Meredith became the first African-American to enroll at the University of Mississippi on October 1, 1962. Becaus so many angry segregationists violenetly protested, President Kennedy sent 5,000 troops to the scene to control the situation. This was a big step forward in tolerance towards segregation in the south. -
National Poll on Integration
62% of Americans — 73% of Northerners and 31% of Southerners — believe Blacks and Whites should attend the same schools. This was a nationally conducted pole that was segmented by region. The vas majority of southerners believed against intergration, while the majority of northeners did. -
Civil Rights Act
The historic 1964 Civil Rights Act included federal measures to enforce school desegregation. Subsequent Congressional action and a series of Supreme Court rulings in the late 1960s and early 1970s compelled public school districts - east and west, north and south - to integrate. Simply put, the act pushed integregation that included schools everywhere. -
SNCC Emerges
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) is founded at Shaw University, providing young blacks with a place in the civil rights movement. The SNCC later grows into a more radical organization, especially under the leadership of the African American adult youth. The SNCC would be steady fighter against segregation, mainly in education. -
Supreme Court takes Justice
The Supreme Court orders states to dismantle segregated school systems "root and branch." This was another major step forward in the inegration process. No school could be strictly white according to the proclamation. Schools were to be judged off of 5 components- faciliites, faculty, staff, extracurricular activities, and transportation. -
Segregated Schools Decrease Rapidly
Economist Charles Clotfelter reports that from 1969 to 1972, the percentage of African Americans attending southern schools that were at least 90 percent black dropped considerably over a short strech of time. In just 3 years percentages drecreased from 78% to 25%. This reflects the significant drop in segrarted districts.
