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The Struggle for Civil Rights, An African American Perspective.
Supported by:
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. http://www.wikipedia.org/.
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. Print.
Oakes, James. Of the People: A History of the United States. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2010. Print. -
Works Cited
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. http://www.wikipedia.org/.
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. Print.
Oakes, James. Of the People: A History of the United States. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2010. Print. -
Creation of the Constitution
Although many of the Founding Fathers felt it should include an amendment noting the equality for all men, they ended up excluding this issue to appease slave-owners. -
Eli Whitney invents the cottin gin
The use of slave labor was being phased out towards the turn of the century because of the diminishing need for large amounts of agricultural workers. The invention of the cotton gin created a huge demand for slaves persisting their lack of rights and freedom. -
William Lloyd Garrison begins publishing the Liberator
An abolitionist newspaper, the Liberator helped spread the agenda of its founder Garrison. He believed that slavery should be outlawed and equal rights be granted to all men as stated in the Declaration of Independence. -
Frederick Douglass publishes his autobiography
This autobiography illustrated his life as a slave and the way he escaped to the North to gain his freedom. Douglass went on to be major figure in the Abolition movement. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
A landmark decision made by the Supreme Court that prevented Dred Scott, a former slave, from making a claim because as a slave he had no right to do so. -
Emancipation Proclamation
During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln made this speech proclaiming freedom for all slaves. Slaves did not immdiately leave their owners, but gradually they all received their freedom during the span of the war. -
13th, 14th, and 15th amendments
These were the three amendments to the Constitution passed during the Reconstruction period following the Civil War. The 13th outlawed slavery, the 14th provided citizenship for all people in the US, and the 15th established universal male suffrage. -
Civil Rights Act of 1866
Enacted following the Civil War to protect the civil rights of freed slaves. This legislation was vetoed by President Johnson, but pushed through by Congress. It had little effect in the South and eventually was done away with. -
The Tuskegee Institute opens
Founded by Booker T. Washington, this institute helped African-Americans learn crafts and skills, as well as academics, that could assist them in finding a job and working their way out of poverty. Washington believed that African-Americans had to learn to deal with segregation. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This landmark Supreme Court decision upheld racial segregation stating that stating that such division remained "separate but equal." Another setback to equality. -
Formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Created by W.E.B. Dubois among others, to promote the improvement in the way of life for colored people. They developed this organization after feeling appalled by the lynchings going on in the South. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This Supreme Court decision reversed Plessy v. Ferguson. They decided that public schools had been separate but not equal. This marked a major victory for the Civil Rights Movement which occurred throughout the 1950s. -
Emmett Till murdered
On this day in history, Emmett Till was murdered by a couple of white men in Mississippi for flirting with a white woman. The trial that followed resulted in acquittals for the men responsible for his death. Till's tragic death helped motivate the Civil Rights Movement. -
Rosa Parks arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus
In Montgomery, Alabama, after working all day, Rosa Parks sat down at an empty seat on a bus. Eventually, all the seats reserved for whites became full and she was told to stand. She refused and the bus driver contacted the police to arrest her. Parks' actions set off a boycott of buses in Montgomery that eventually succeeded and forced the city to change its policy on segregation. Another victory for the movement. -
Martin Luther King Jr.'s March On Washington
Hundreds of thousands of individuals attended this event organized by King which rallied in front of the Washington Monument. At this rally, King made his famous "I have a dream" speech calling for civic and economic rights to African-Americans. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Finally, victory! Passed on President Lyndon Johnson's administration, this piece of legislation made it illegal to discriminate based on race, ethnicity, or religion.
