The Civil Rights

By schultz.98

  • The Brown V. Board of Education Trail

    On May 17th 1954, The US Supreme Court unanimously rules Brown V. Board of Education the racial segregation of public schools is unconstitutional, overturning, the "separate but equal" doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson (1886)

  • Emmet Till's Murder

    14 year old Emmet Till was brutally murdered in Mississippi, galvanizing the start of the civil rights movements.

  • Montgomery Bus Boycott

    December 1st 1955, Rosa Parks a seamstress and NAACP activist, refused to give her spot on the bus to a white man in Montgomery bus, sparking the Montgomery bus boycott lead by Martin Luther King Jr and others.

  • Little Rock Nine

    Nine African American students are blocked from entering the Little Rock High School in Arkansas by the Arkansas National Guard.
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    Civil Rights Act of 1957

    The civil rights act was established in 1957 which was a law that was the first civil rights since the reconstruction, it enacted to ensure that all African Americans could exercise their right to vote.

  • The SNC ( Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee)

    The SNCC was established to coordinate and support direct action and voter registration efforts.

  • The Freedom Riders

    The Freedom Rides begin, with a group of Black and white civil rights activists riding interstate buses to challenge segregation in bus terminals and waiting areas. They face violence and arrests throughout the South.

  • Martin Luther King Jr's Arrest and The Atlanta University Students Arrest

    Four black students at Atlanta University are arrested during a sit-in protest. Martin Luther King Jr. is among those arrested, and his imprisonment gains national attention for the Civil Rights Movement.
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    The Freedom Rides

    The Freedom Rides continue, with continued violence and arrests. The federal government eventually deploys federal marshals to protect the Freedom Riders.

  • Greensboro Sit-ins

    4 African American college students sit at the Woolworth segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, South Carolina, sparking a wave of sit-ins across the south

  • King Jr's first arrest

    King was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, alongside 51 others during a sit-in protest at a segregated department store lunch counter.

  • Equal Employment Opportunity

    President John F. Kennedy establishes the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity by executive order, prohibiting discrimination in hiring practices for federally funded projects.

  • The MFDP was formed

    The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) is formed to challenge the exclusion of Black voters from the state Democratic Party.

  • James Meredith first black student to enroll to Mississippi University

    James Meredith becomes the first Black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi, facing violent opposition from white mobs. Federal troops are again deployed to restore order.

  • The Birmingham Campaigns

    Birmingham Campaign begins, with peaceful protests against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. The campaign faces violent repression from police and fire hoses, drawing national attention to the brutality faced by civil rights activists.

  • Martin Luther King Jr's Arrest

    In Birmingham, Alabama, King and Ralph Abernathy were arrested for defying a court injunction and leading a march against segregation. King wrote his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail" while incarcerated.

  • "I have a dream" by Martin Luther King Jr

    The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom brings together over 200,000 people in Washington D.C. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech.

  • Civil Rights Act of 1964

    President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
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    Bloody Sunday

    Selma to Montgomery marches for voting rights are met with violence from state and local authorities. These events, known as "Bloody Sunday" and subsequent marches, lead to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

  • The Watt Riots

    The Watts Riots erupt in Los Angeles, highlighting the economic disparities and frustrations facing many Black Americans.

  • The Black Panther Party

    Founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, the Black Panther Party emerges, advocating for Black empowerment through armed self-defense and social programs.

  • Loving v. Virginia

    The Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia declares laws prohibiting interracial marriage unconstitutional.
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    The Detroit Riots

    Racial tensions and economic frustrations erupt in violent riots in Detroit, Michigan.