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Emmett Till
Emmett Till was a 14 year old african american boy living in Mississippi. He was beaten and lynched for flirting with a white woman on August 28, 1955. The men charged with his murder were acquitted by an all white jury. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was as mass protest of segregated public transport from 1955-56. It started with Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat to a white man. Her courage sparked many others to do the same and eventually the boycott began. The boycott was an excellent strategy to oppose segregation because the African american community hurt Montgomery Alabama where it mattered most in the wallet to get change. -
Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine were nine African american students who were going to and do attend an all white school. They were met with extreme opposition from the governor of Arkansas. The governor used the state national guard to prevent the children from entering the school. President Dwight Eisenhower sent federal troops to escort the kids to school. This was a test of the supreme court ruling that made segregation in schools illegal. -
Youth Involvement: SNCC
The SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) was a group much like the following Dr. King had which was geared towards the younger generation. They believed that non violence was a political move. They would routinely organize sit ins which was an active way of protesting segregation. They also helped the early freedom riders. -
Freedom Riders
The freedom riders were groups of people protesting to make a difference for the civil rights of African Americans. They rode buses into the south challenging the segregation on buses as well as the segregation at bus stops. They were met with harsh opposition: riders of the first two buses were beaten and the one bus was lit on fire by protesters. -
James Meredith and Ole Miss
James Meredith was the first African American to register as a student at the University of Mississippi. Prior to his enrollment there were dangerous riots between students and federal officers. Two people died in the riots and many were injured. Attorney General Robert Kennedy had to send around 31,000 national guardsmen and federal marshals to keep he riots under control. -
Letters From a Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King Jr. wrote this letter while he was in jail. Part of what it is known for is the strategy of non violent resistance. Dr. King knew that the best way to achieve his goals for the African American community was not through violence. Coordinated peaceful protests were launched such as sit ins, and strikes as well as marches. -
Project C
Project C was a strategic protest of Birmingham, Alabama. Children were recruited to march peacefully in protest of the segregation. In the street the police and protesters clash. Protesters are sprayed with fire hoses and locked up in jail. The involvement of children and the media videotaping the confrontation caught the national spotlight and people all over the United States realized there was a real problem in the south. -
Malcom X
Malcom X was a black muslim activist of civil rights. Unlike Dr. King Malcom X supported violence to protect oneself against the oppression and abuse of whites and the police. Because the government wasn't doing its job to protect the people in his eyes it was justified to resist and fight. -
The March on Washington
Over 200,000 Americans marched in protest in Washington, DC. They were there to gain equal rights as well as political and social changes. The famous 'I Have a Dream" speech was given here by Martin Luther King Jr. This event could be considered the turning point in the battle for civil rights because of the number of people both Black and white who turned up to support it and hear the speech. -
Freedom Summer
Freedom summer describes the events that happened in Mississippi during 1964. The biggest thing was to increase voter registration by African Americans. There was systematic oppression still occurring from the KKK, the police and state and local authorities. Several activist leaders were killed. Two white students and one African American who showed up for the freedom summer project disappeared and were later found dead. -
Civil Rights Act
The civil rights act of 1964 ended discrimination. It was officially enacted July 2nd, 1964. It banned discrimination based off of race, religion, color and sex. This was the first big step in correcting the segregation happening in the south. All of the protests and sit ins helped draw attention to this issue and led to the creation of the civil rights act. Lyndon B Johnson was the president who signed the civil rights act. -
Selma to Montgomery March
Martin Luther King Jr. led the march from Selma to Montgomery. Part of the goal of this march was to increase voter turnout from African Americans. The march was met with heavy resistance from the police. They weren't able to make it to the capital until they were escorted by the National Guard. This whole event was shown to Americans all over the world through the media. The media was helping to show everyone what was happening in the south. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights act was signed into law on August 6th, 1965 by Lyndon B Johnson. This law was to help African Americans overcome legal barriers and enable them to vote. The act banned literacy tests which were commonly used to dissuade African american voters. It also called for federal oversight on areas were less than 50 % of the non white population had signed up to vote. This would ensure equal protection under the law and oversight on areas where this was possibly not adhered to.
