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Emancipation Proclamation Issued
The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln and proclaimed freedom to slaves of the 10 states that were in rebellion of the Union. This proclamation did not make slaves citizens, abolish slavery, or give any real plan as to how the owners would be compensated. It was the first step in freeing the slaves. -
Thirteenth Amendment Ratified
The thirteenth amendment abollished slavery in the United States. The amendment freed slaves from slavery and gave the congress the ability to make appropriate legislation to enforce the amendment. This action follows the philosophy of the emancipation proclamation and demonstrates the direction of the U.S. government as it departed from slavery. -
Fourteenth Amendment Ratified
This amendment gave blacks equal protection under the law, made them citizens of the United States, and banned states and local governments from restricting rights without due process of the law. This amendment was cited in the cases of Plessy v. Ferguson, and Brown v. Board of education. It became one of the most important amendments to the civil rights movement and eventually ended segregation. -
Fifteenth Amendment Ratified
This amendment gave blacks the right to vote and all citizens this right to vote regardless of race, color, of previous condition of servitude. Southern stated were able to find a loophole in this amendment by making blacks take a test to prove they knew enough to vote and it wasnt until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that voting practices for blacks and whites were made equal. This along with the 13th and 14th amendments made up the basisi of the civil rights movement in the 1950's and 1960's -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Homer Plessy bought a ticket for a train in New Orleans and sat in the white section. He was arrested and pleaded his case. The case eventually made it to the Supreme Court where his appeal to the 14th amendment was rejected and a "separate but equal" decision was issued. Since it was not illegal to keep blacks separate from whites, segregation gained credibility. Jim Crow laws of the South continued as a result of this case. It was a setback for the civil rights movement. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Southern states practiced segregation in public schools and to address this, the Supreme Court heard five cases to make a decision. They declared that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional and violated the 14th amendment. This case overruled the Plessy v. Ferguson verdict "separate but equal." It also gave fuel to the civil rights movement as blacks continued to fight against segregation. -
Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was brutally murdered in Missippi for whistling at a white woman. Roy Bryant, the primary suspect, was put on trial in Mississipi and acquitted, despite admitting to taking Till from his tent and beating him that night. This event gained national and international attention as the boy was from Chicago. If nothing else, the case brought light to the corruption and discrimination of the court system in the South that most white northerners were oblivious to. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The boycott started when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. Civil rights organizations decided that it was a fight worth fighting and organized a boycott. For a year, blacks, which made up 70% of the riders, refused to ride the bus by walking, carpooling, or receiving rides from other supporters. The Supreme Court eventually ruled segregation on Montgomery buses unconstitutional. Its success proved to other protesters that they had the means to acheive civil rights. -
Greensboro sit-ins
David Richmond and Ezell Blair were inspired by a speech they heard by Dr. King and organized a protest near A&T of North Carolina at a restaurant called Woolworth's with two fellow students. They sat at the table and stayed after being asked to leave. They suffered beating and slurs but stayed until the place closed and came back with more and more people. This event continued the movement to students. It supplied fresh troops to the movement and demonstrated the success nonviolent protests. -
Freedom Rides
The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) organized a ride from Washington, D.C. to New Orleans. The goal was to expose southern segregation as well as bring fame to CORE. The riders were met by an angry mob in Birmingham and the riders were beaten severely. Bull Connor disregarded the demands of president Kennedy to protect the riders and let them get beaten. The Freedom Rides were successful in bringing the civil rights movement to federal attention and exposing a serious issue. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington was one of the biggest political rallies in America. It called for political and economic rights for African americans. A. Philip Randolph led the march along with organizations such as SNCC, SCLC, NAACP and CORE. It was here, too, that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I have a dream" speech. The march received great media attention and is widely credited with helping to pass the Voting Rights and Civil Rights Acts. -
Passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act outlawed any form of racial discrimination in public accomodations which included the workplace and schools. The federal government officially ended any form of segregation or discrimination with this act. It too was passed under Lyndon B. Johnson. The passing of the Civil Rights act of 1964 was greatly influenced by the march on Washington. -
Passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed any voting discrimination. The act was passed under Lyndon B. Johnson. The legislation fills in the holes that were left out of the 15th amendment. Poll tests and taxes were used in the South to disenfranchise blacks. This bill addresses that.
