Top Ten Events Of The Civil Rights Era (1950s-1960s)

Executive Order 9981

Jul 26, 1948

Executive Order 9981 was an executive order issued on July 26, 1948 by president Harry S. Truman. It abolished racial discrimination eventually led to the end of segregation in services.

Brown v. Topeka Board Of Education

May 17, 1954

The Brown V. Topeka Board Of Education was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. This led to an increase in school violence.

Murder Of Emmett Till

Aug 28, 1955

14 year old Emmett Till was visiting relatives in Money , Mississippi, when he reportedly flirted with a white women in a store. Four days later , two white men related to the woman on the store , Kidnapped Till, beat him and shot him in the head. The men were taken to court for the murder of Till and found Not Guilty. This caused people to notice how bad it was down south.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Dec 5, 1955

Because of the arrest of Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955, The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a 13 month pass protect, Blacks and Whites refused to ride a public bus to prove the point of "not needing them" , it ended with the U.S. supreme court ruling that segregation on public buses unconstitutional.

Freedom Riders

May 4, 1961

Freedoms riders were civil right activist who rode interstate buses into segregated southern United States in 1961 challenging segregation in South America.

Letter From Birmingham Jail

Apr 16, 1963

Civil Rights Act Of 1964

Jul 2, 1964

Selma March

Mar 7, 1965

Voting Rights Act

Aug 6, 1965

MLK Assassination

Apr 28, 1968