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15th amendment passed
The 15th amendment was a reconstruction amendment that gave African American men the right to vote. Even though, they now could legally vote many southern states found loopholes like the poll tax. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
Plessy vs. Ferguson was one of the most famous supreme court cases ever. It established the concept of separate but equal and in doing so essentially made the blacks feel inferior for generations to come -
19th amendment passed
Women's suffrage was achieved 50 years after black suffrage and that isn't surprising considering the times. This amendment showed just how hard it is to change things in the voting scene -
Breedlove v. Suttles
In this Supreme court case the court upheld that states could require a poll tax. They decided this because at that time the goal was not to deny anyone the right to vote, but by 1962 that was the goal. -
Butler v. Thompson
Again the subject of poll taxes was brought up in the courts, this time in Virginia. This case never got to the supreme court and the stance on poll taxes again didn't change. -
24th amendment passed by congress
The 24th amendment outlawed using poll taxes as a requirement to vote. The vote was 295 to 86 in the house. Mississippi was the main reason it was passed as that was where it was happening the most. -
Freedom summer
The SNCC (Student non violent coordinating committee) organized an event called freedom summer, to try to get blacks to register to vote. With the rigged literacy tests they needed a big movement like this. Most of the participators were whites from the north who didn't know what they were getting into. -
24th amendment ratified
The 24th amendment was now ratified by enough states so it officially became part of the constitution. -
Civil rights act
This Act was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, ending segregation and banned discrimination based on race and other factors. It is looked at as one of the most important victories of the civil rights movement. -
Selma march
The march from Selma to Montgomery was supposed to be a peaceful march against literacy tests. It turned into something much bigger, including riots and national attention. -
Voting rights act
The voting rights act of 1965 made it impossible to discriminate against race in voting. Finally southern states could no longer find a loophole into not allowing blacks to vote -
MLK assassinated
Martin Luther King the leader of the civil rights movement was shot by James Earl Ray. This was a huge event for the black community and they really rallied around his death.
