-
NAACP
Established ub 1909, this organization supported court cases trying to overturn segregation. By the 1950s, they had a core group of young, bright African-American lawyers to fight for this cause. -
Thurgood Marshall
Cheif Counsel and director of the NAACP's Legal Defnese and Education Fund who argues the Brown case before the Supreme Court. Later became the first African-American Supreme Court justice. -
Racism
Prejudice or discrimination against someone because of race. -
Period: to
Civil Rights Movement
-
Brown vs Board of Education
Landmark Supreme Court decision that ruled segregation in public schools was unconstitutional and violated the equal protecction dlause of the 14th Amendment. Overturned Plessy. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Begun when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus, this led to a yearlong fight that changed Alabama's segregation laws in regards to busing. -
SCLC
Southern Christian Leadership Convention. Established by Dr. King in 1957, this organziation tried to eliminate segregation from American society and pushed African-Americans to register to vote. -
CORE
Congress on Racial Equality. It was formed in 1942, this group helped organize sit-ins in order to desegregate public facilities. -
Birmingham
Albama City where Dr. King was jailed for protesting. While in solitary confinement, he wrote a famous letter defending nonviolent protests. -
March on Washington
200,000 peaceful protesters gathering in Washington, D.C., where Dr. King gave his 1963 "I Have A Dream" speech. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Legislation that gave the federal government power to prevent racial discrimination in several areas, making segregation illegal in most public places. It also required private employers to end all discriminatory practices in the workplace and allowed the Attorney General the ability to bring lawsuits to force school desegregation. -
Martin Luther King Jr.
Young Baptist minister that led the Montgomery bus boycott. He later became a national civil rights leader, espousin the techniques of Ghandi in using non-violent resistance to instigate change.
