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Brown Vs. Board of Education
The NAACP worked over twenty years to create a case they could send to the Supreme Court. Thurgood Marshall was the head of the legal team. The case was to end segregation in schools. They made the case that “separate was not equal.” They won unanimously, 9-0. The decision caused riots and school closings. -
The Murder of Emmet Till
Emmitt Till was 14 years old when he was visiting family. He was accused of whistling at a white woman. He was kidnapped and killed by Roy Bryant and JW Milan, then was thrown into a river. Maime Till, Emmett’s mother, had an open casket funeral. Both men stood trial, both were found not guilty.This event sparked the Civil Rights movement. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white man on the bus on December 1st, 1955. This started the Montgomery bus boycott. It lasted 381days. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the leaders. It was a large nonviolent protest. It was successful because Black riders made up 75% of bus riders. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The conference started after the Montgomery bus boycott to organize protests. Martin Luther King Jr. was elected president. This led to his rise into leadership of the Civil Rights Movement. They organized the Greensboro sit-ins, march on Washington, and Selma. It still exists today, even though it declined after MLK was assasinated. -
The Little Rock Nine
This tested Brown Vs. Board of Education. Nine students were vetted to undergo this test. Airborn 101 escorted the Little Rock Nine to class. All public schools were closed to prevent integration. The schools were reopened on August 29, 1959. -
Greensboro, North Carolina
Four college students sat down at a lunch counter at Woolworth’s to be served. They were refused service. They continued to sit-in, and others joined. The protests spread to other towns. This forced change and protested segregation at businesses. -
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
This was a youth group of students that remained independent of MLK and the SCLC, staging their own protests. The two organizations worked side by side during the early years of the Civil Rights Movement. This group was the second half of the Freedom Riders and the March to Selma. -
Freedom Riders
The Freedom Riders planned a two-week bus trip through the deep South, deliberately violating Jim Crow laws. It was organized by CORE. The buses were burned and the riders were beaten by the KKK. It took multiple attempts, but they finally got segregation signs removed from businesses. -
March on Washington
Advocated for the civil and economic rights of African Americans. 250,000 people were in attendance at the Lincoln Memorial. Martin Luther King gave his “I Have A Dream Speech.” 70-80% of the marchers were black.
This helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, natural origin, sex, or physical disability. Blacks could not be refused service based on their race.It also forbid discrimination in labor unions. -
March on Selma/Bloody Sunday
600 students marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to secure the right to vote. They walked 54 miles and were stopped at the bridge. It was seen on national television. Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the passage of the 1965 voting rights law. The second march took place on March 21-24 with 25,000 marchers, including MLK. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Blacks were often restricted from voting due to unfair regulation. This voting rights act allowed Blacks to vote and be elected to public office. It was one of the most comprehensive pieces of legislature in U.S. History.