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Brown v. Board of Education
An African American girl was denied admission to her neighborhood school in Topeka, Kansas due to her race & she was told to attend an all black school that happened to be across town. With the help of the NAACP, her parents then sued the Topeka school board. The Court ordered school districts to proceed “with all deliberate speed” to end school segregation. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
A civil rights protest that started when an African American woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. Led by Martin Luther King, Jr. and he and others tried to negotiate with city leaders for an end to segregation. They decided to have a non violent protest and refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama, to protest segregated seating. -
Little Rock 9 & the Desegregation of Schools
Nine Black students were prevented from integrating into Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas with 2,000 white students. The governor ordered troops from the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the nine students from entering the school. President Dwight D. Eisenhower eventually sends federal troops to escort the students into the school, but it didn't stop them from being continuously harassed from the white students. -
The Sit-In Movement
Led by Joseph McNeil, Ezell Blair, Jr., David Richmond, & Franklin McCain who were all college freshmen at NCAT and were all part of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). They started this sit in movement in order to be given the same service as white customers when sitting at counters. -
Freedom Riders
Black and white activists who took bus trips through the Southern part of America to protest segregated bus terminals and made an effort to use whites-only bathrooms and lunch counters. Some white people were angry by what they were doing and the freedom riders were beaten up by a gang of young men who were armed with baseball bats, chains & lead pipes. -
James Meredith & the Desegregation of Southern Universities
Meredith was an African American Air Force veteran and became the first African American to attend the University of Mississippi. When President Kennedy heard about it, he dispatched 500 federal marshals to escort Meredith to the campus. -
March on Washington
Dr.King realized Kennedy would have a hard time pushing his civil rights bill through Congress, so he found a way to lobby Congress & build more public support. As another option, Dr.King got an idea from Philip Randolph to March on Washington. Today, the March on Washington is famous for Dr.King’s “I have a dream” speech. Shortly after the march, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bill was passed. -
Malcolm X & the Civil Rights Movement
Malcolm X was losing patience with the slow progress of civil rights & felt African Americans needed to act more stern and demand equality instead of sitting around and waiting for it to be given to them. He left the Nation of Islam & continued to criticize them & they weren't happy about it to the organization members shot and killed him February 1965. -
Voter Registration Among Minorities
Even though the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, voting rights were not changed. The act solely focused on segregation & job discrimination & it did little to address voting issues. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 authorized U.S attorney general to send federal examiners to register qualified voters by passing local officials who often refuse to register African Americans. The Selma March protested against voting rights & many were beaten by police forces for ignoring orders. -
Urban Problems & the Black Panthers
African Americans lived in poor communities in the nation's major cities, they were pact, dirty & led to higher rates of illness & infant mortality. Many were trapped in poverty & found themselves working at lower paying jobs with little to no chance for success. The Black Panthers were a political organization founded by college students & viewed civil rights as a required revolution in the U.S. & urged A.A to arm themselves & prepare to force whites to give them the equal rights they deserve.