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Issuing of Emancipation Proclamation
This was a document passed by President Abraham Lincoln announced slaves in the 10 states still in rebellion to be freed. The problem with this proclamation was that it announced this freedom with no regard to slave owners, with no proper outlawing altogether and did not result in citizenship. However, this was a step toward the movement to unite not only the states, but the people within them. -
13th Amendment is Ratified
The 13th Amendment states the official outlawing of slavery unless used as a means of punishment. The significance of this Amendment was that it really acted as the backbone to the Emancipation Proclamation as it set in law what was already attempted. -
14th Amendment Radified
This Amendment guarenteed 1. Equal treatment of all citizens, 2. Number of representatives in House of Reps will be reduced for states that don't allow all people to vote, 3. Those involved in rebellion may not take part in congress, and 4. Federal payment for confederate rebellion is denied. This amendment offered protection and citizenship to minority groups but with its vague wording has resulted in denial of right and allowance of rights to unintended groups. i.e. corporations. -
15th Amendment Radified
This amendment granted the right to vote to all citizens regardless of race. This amendment was more successful in the north but in the south, blacks voting was still a fight. Often times they would be faced with unreasonable poll tests before voting that white voters could easily be excused from with allowance in the Grandfather Clause. Also, this amendment did not grant women the right to vote with the definition of citizen still very situational. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
This case came about after Plessy was arrested for sitting in a whites only car and refusing to go into the black car even though they could trace some of his ancestors to be black which in turn made him black. Taking this to court as a violation of the 14th amendment's granting of equal treatment, the 'separate but equal' idea was the result. As long as facilities were equal, it stated, it will not be unlawful for them to remain separate. -
Brown v Board of Education
This case occurred in Topeka, Kansas when 13 parents were willing to fight the fact that their black children would have to go 7 blocks to a black school when there was a white school only a mile away from their homes. In this case, the court ends up going back on what was ruled in Plessy v Ferguson, stating it unlawful for separation in schools to continue as it was negatively effecting the educations of these children. -
Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till, 14 years old, was murdered following an interaction with a white woman in a store in Mississippi. Originially from Chicago, the boy wasn't used to the strict ettiquite of the deep south. His whistle at a white woman behind a counter ended with his brutal murder. This death was highly publicized and he even had an open casket at his funeral to allow the public to see exactly what was being done in the racist south. The men tried for his obvious murder never faced any consequence. -
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Montgomery Bus Boycott
This was a 13 month campaign protesting the segregation on public buses. Realizing the importance of their money to the bus companies, Montgomery blacks faithfully boycotted buses in order to stand up for their mistreatment. Following Rosa Park's denial to give up her seat to a white passenger, the protesters joined in. This ended with the success for black passengers with the federal statement of segregation on buses to be unlawful. -
Greensboro Sit-Ins
Four students from A&T Institute decided they had to take it upon themselves to receive the treatment they deserved. They did so by sitting in at the segregated lunch counter at Woolworth's. Once denied service, they continued to sit, peacefully, until closing. The next day they came back with more supporters and the next day with more, this continued until the sit-ins impacted the business to the point where they had no choice but to oblige. This led to the disegregation of lunch counters. -
The Freedom Rides
Starting as a CORE movement, blacks and whites decided to take the trip from D.C. to New Orleans via public buses to test the recently passed law of desegregation of interstate buses. Upon brutality, SNCC ended up taking over the movement and too faced ridiculous extremists. These rides got the necessary attention for the gov't to actually ensure these rights. -
March on Washington
This March was a political rally for economic and civil rights for African Americans. This is the event that MLK Jr. delivered his 'I Have a Dream' speech. This event is largely credited the push that drove home the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibited segregation and equality in all aspects of life. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act outlawed all acts of segregation against minority groups. This was originally presented by JFK but finished by Lyndon B. Johnson following Kennedy's assassination. It is often thought that this would never have gone through under JFK, as reelction would've become impossible. However, it was passed under LBJ and touched on all aspects from voting to equality in schools. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This Act, brought in by Lyndon B. Johnson, had the federal gov't overseeing the elections in counties that had previously required literacy tests of voters. It also outlawed these tests as they were basically just loop holes to keep blacks out of the voting box. This act was widely successful, enabling and encouraging blacks to go vote.
