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Plessy v Ferguson
This court case was a controversial decision done by the Supreme Court in regards to racial tensions. The court decided that whites and blacks were "separate but equal" when Homer Adolph Plessy, a 1/8th black 7/8th caucasian man, sat in a segregated "Whites Only" train car and got arrested. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Brown v. Board of Education was a landmark case that overturned the prohibition of African Americans in White schools. Although many steps were taken to make Blacks more equal like the 14th and 15th Amendments, most of America did not acknowledge them, so segregation was still seen, like in schools -
Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was an African American Teenager who was lynched in Mississippi at the age of 14. After being accused of flirting with a white woman, Emmett was lynched. About six decades later the who Emmett supposedly flirted with came out and said her claims were false and Emmett was innocent. -
Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
After coming from work, Rosa Parks took the bus to go home. She sat in the front row seats in the colored section, and those seats were given to white folk when the bus got full. After being told to get off the seats, Parks did not comply, so she got arrested. This caused an outrage and resulted in the boycotts of the Montgomery buses. -
Founding of Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
The SCLC was founded to coordinate and help local protests. It was created to advance the progression of the civil rights movement in a non-violent way. Among the leaders of the SCLC include Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King. -
Little Rock Nine & Central High School
9 African american students were enrolled into all white Central High School. When they were about to go into the school for the first time they were met with racially angry white people and Governor Orval Faubus with the National Guard blocking the door. President Eisenhower threatened to send the military if Faubus didnt stand down. When he stayed, the military came and dissipated the whole situation. -
Greensboro sit-in
On February 1, 1960, 4 college students walked into a diner and sat down in a white only table. When asked to move to the colored table, they politely declined and requested for service. They were met with racial violence and eventually arrested for not complying. This sparked a youth movement to end racial segregation in the South. -
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
After the Greensboro sit-ins, the youth created the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). It was created to organize these sit ins, support their leaders, and publicize their activities. Martin Luther King wanted the SNCC to become the youth wing of the Southern Christian Leadership commitee (SCLC), but the youth leaders to be partnered with them. -
Freedom Ride/Freedom Riders
Around 400 African American men and women risked their lives to help end segregation in transportation by riding in buses into the deep south. 7 blacks and 6 whites were first met with minor hostility, but were later severely beaten. It got to the point where one of the buses was burned down and they had to be evacuated by the US Justice Department. -
March on Washington
More than 200,000 protesters took to Washington capital to join Martin Luther King Jr. in his March on Washington. The march was the largest demonstration in United States history. It was here where MLK delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech. -
Freedom Summer
During the summer of 1964, college students traveled to the south to help register black voters. Not only did they help them register, they also informed them about the civil rights movement and they built "freedom schools". They also helped establish the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) -
Civil Rights Act (1964)
the civil rights act was enacted on the 2nd of July. The act prevented discrimination based on sex and race. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
On the 25th of February 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated. It is believed members of the Nation of Islam were responsible for his death due to an ongoing feud between them. This speculation is supported with the fact that a week before, Malcolm's home was firebombed by Nation of Islam members -
Voting Rights Act (1965)
The Voting Rights Act was signed into law on August 6th, 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. It outlawed the discriminatory practices that were put in place to prevent black people from voting. Some practices include a literacy test and the poll tax -
Assassination of MLK
On April 4th, 1968, MLK was shot to death while standing on a balcony at his home. The news caused racial outrage and violence all across america. The FBI later found out that James Earl Ray was responsible for his death.
