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13th Amendment
This amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude - except as punishment for a crime - and was approved by President Abraham Lincoln. It was for the entire United States as it built off of the Emancipation Proclamation that only freed slaves from 11 confederate states. -
Tuskegee Institute Created
A private, historically black university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded by Booker T. Washington for the aim of training teachers in Alabama. It provided black students the opportunity for both academic and vocational training. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
The landmark U.S Supreme Court decision that validated the constitutionality of racial segregation by the “separate but equal” doctrine. It happened because a African American, Homer Plessy, refused to sit in the black section of the car. This decision is later challenged - to make racial segregation illegal; this problem of blacks and white seperated in the train carriages started in Louisiana. -
NAACP Created
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is a civil rights organization and movement to further extend the justices African Americans would receive. Founders include W.E.B Du Bois, and Ida B. Wells and was founded in New York. It was active throughout the United States to advance the freedoms experienced by African Americans. -
Executive Order 9981
Executive order issued by Harry S. Truman (signed in Washington D.C) to desegregate the Armed Forces based on many factors: race, color, religion, or national origin. This order eventually led to the downfall of segregation within these services. It ended racial segregation in the military, which eventually provided the US with as my troops as possible. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The landmark U.S Supreme Court case that directly challenged the Plessy v Ferguson case; the justices unanimously decided that racial segregation of children in schools was unconstitutional even if the facility was equal in quality. This was delivered by U.S Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren. State-sponsored segregation of public schools was a direct opponent of the 14th amendment, thus being unconstitutional. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
In response to segregated busses, African Americans refused to ride city busses in Montgomery, Alabama - it was a major civil rights protest. It was the first large scale movement against segregation and major figures include Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. The US Supreme Court ultimately decided to integrate the busses in Montgomery. -
Little Rock 9
Group of nine black students who were enrolled in Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their attendance in the school sprouted off of the Brown vs Board of Education case. Orval Faubus, Governor of Arkansas, did not allow the students to enter the school. Then, President Eisenhower sent in federal troops to help the kids enter the school. It brought awareness to the issue of segregation in public school and tested the Brown vs Board of Education case. -
Chicano Movement (Mural Movement)
Began in Mexican-American barrios throughout the Southwest; artists used the walls of buildings, homes, schools, and churches to represent Mexican-American culture. The style was modernistic and the murals depicted the Mexican will to pursue their culture and beliefs. Many mexicans engaged in this activity. -
Freedom Riders
Non-violent, civil right activists who wanted to end racial segregation in Southern U.S public transit, and interstate transportation. To do so, they rode interstate busses and into the segregated south - to protest illegal bus segregation. James Farmer supported this movement to eventually end segregation in interstate transportation. -
Dr. King’s: “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”
Letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. from Birmingham, Alabama’s jail where he defended the idea of civil disobedience or non-violent resistance to racism. He urges his fellow African Americans to fight for freedom through demonstrations, direct-action, and self-purification to eventually win the rights and freedoms they truly deserve. -
March on Washington: “I have a dream” speech
Martin Luther King Jr. gave the speech “I have a dream” in Washington D.C to stir many African Americans and minorities; he called for many civil and economic rights for these African Americans and to end racial segregation and discrimination. Ultimately, it pressured the JFK Administration to start a memorable federal rights bill for fixing the social conditions in the United States. -
24th Amendment
This amendment prohibited any poll tax for elections in federal or state offices. This was crucial for African Americans because they could vote without paying; it increased the representation and voting outreach for many in the United States and it aimed to end legal segregation. This amendment was active throughout the US, but some states (Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, Virginia) retained the poll tax. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Out of all the measures towards black freedom, this was the most elaborative civil rights legislation passed to demolish Jim Crow segregation and racial discrimination. It barred segregation within facilities, jobs, and housing; it created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commision to ensure fair hiring/job practices. Overall, it outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibited racial segregation throughout the United States. -
March from Selma, Alabama
A march that was organized by non-violent activists who wanted more freedom in the United States; this included legal freedom with their constitutional right to vote and also less segregation in facilities. In response, President Lyndon B. Johnson organized a joint session to discuss the problems Africans Americans were facing and to eventually protect them from barriers of voting. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Act signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson that pursued to overcome legal barriers that deferred African Americans from voting under the 15th Amendment. This law helped at both local and state levels. Overall, it removed major barriers like poll taxes, literacy tests, and other majors that prevented African Americans from voting. This was a step towards black freedom legally, which increased the representation within the US -
Black Panthers
Organization founded in Oakland, California by Bobby Seale, Huey P. Newton, and Elbert Howard. Its main purpose was to fight police brutality and discrimination in ghettos. A variety of community social services became a main activity to maintain social order and oversee bad police practices. -
Thurgood Marshall appointed to the Supreme Court
President LBJ appointed Thurgood Marshall, the Court’s first African American justice. He played a crucial role in promoting racial equality during the civil rights movement; for example, he was deeply involved in the Brown vs Board of Education case, which earned him his reputation as a civil rights legal activist. He also led the NAACP’s legal defense fund. -
American Indian Movement (AIM)
Movement founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota to combat systemic issues of poverty, discrimination, and police brutality in urban areas against Native Americans. The American Indians wanted their illegally seized land, economic and political opportunities, and revitalization of tribal culture. Overall, it protested unjust practices on American Indians. -
Sonia Sotomayor appointed to the Supreme Court
President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice. This solidified the diversification of the legal Court system and further comprehended the inclusion of different races into the judicial system.
