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Truman Desegregates the Army
Executive order 9981 is signed by Harry Truman desegregating the army. -
Brown V. Board of Education
The Supreme Court established that "separate education facilities are inherently unequal" making it clear that racial segregation in schools is unconstitutional. -
The Killing of Emmet Till
Emmet Till is falsely accused of flirting with Caroline Bryant and then lynched for that Accusation. His murderers are acquitted. -
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat.
In an act of defiance against racial segregation on public transportation Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat in the front of the bus for a white passenger thus getting herself arrested and igniting the Montgomery Bus Boycott. -
Freedom Riders
In May of 1961 Civil Rights activists begin to ride interstate buses in racially mixed groups to challenge various laws that upheld racial segregation -
March on Washington
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom commenced with the goal of ending both racism and fighting for the poor. It ends with Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have A Dream" Speech -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
After years of pressure from Civil Rights activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. the Johnson administration finally signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law which prohibits discrimination based on race (and later other identities) and enforces this formally in the school system while also protecting voting rights for minorities -
Assassination of Malcolm X
After Malcolm X's political journey over recent years had begun to cause rifts with the leadership of the Nation of Islam X is assassinated due to an inside plot in the Audubon Ballroom. -
Formation of the Black Panther Party
Huey Newton and Bobby Seale form the infamous Black Panther Party which at first is started in Oakland to monitor racist policing through open carry. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
After years of leading non-violent protest and class struggles throughout the United States Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis Tennessee.