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Plessy v. Ferguson
In this case Homer Plessy sat in a "white" railroad car but he was cosidered black under the law. This event lead to his arrest. This case established seperate but equal accomodations for different races. After Plessy v. Ferguson railroad cars were assigned to each race and you could only sit in the assigned cars for your race. -
NAACP
The NAACP was first formed to stop the lynching of African-Americans. The organization acheived many of it's goals in the Civil Rights Era (Brown v. Board of Education and others). Famous people in the NAACP include: MLK, Rosa Parks, and Jackie Robinson. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This case ended segregation in public schools. This provided equal education oppurtunities for minorities. It was proven that the segregation of public schools denied some races of their 14th Amendment rights. -
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
The protest started with Rosa Parks getting arrested on 1 December 1955. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white passanger. The Montgomery bus boycott continued for 13 more months. In the end the court ruled bus segregation unconstitutional. -
SCLC
The SCLC used peacful methods to register African- Americans to vote. MLK Jr. was the president of this organization because he showed great leadership. The SCLC was founded sometime in 1957. -
The Little Rock Nine
Governor Orval Faubus blocked nine African-American students from getting into Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Many people protested because they were against the desegregation of schools. Jefferson Thomas and Carlotta Walls, two of the Little Rock Nine students, graduated from Central High School in the Spring. -
Sit-ins & SNCC
The first sit-in involved four African American students from North Carolina. They sat at a bar reserved for white customers and after being asked to leave did not get arrested. Not all of the sit-ins went a smoothly as this one. During some, things got violent and the protesters had people yell racial slurs at them and even through food. After this sit-in SNCC was created by students. They used this program to arrange sit-ins and promote their activities -
Freedom Riders
After the court ruled segregation of interstate buses unconstitutional (Boynton v. Virginia) a group of African American and white wanted to test it. During their trip they were beated and their buses damaged. In the end, their trip inspired more people to go on Freedom Rides. -
Fannie Lou Hamer
Fannie was born October 6, 1917, in Montgomery, Mississippi. She listened to a sermon and at the end there was a request for voters to register. Knowing the dangers of voting in the south, Fannie was the first to volunteer. -
Medgar Evers
Medgar Evers' efforts to help African Americans lead to James Meredith being admitted to University of Mississippi. He was assassinated because of his writings on June 12, 1963. He was also the state field secretary of the NAACP. -
March on Washington
The NAACP, CORE, SNCC, and the SCLC all came together for this protest. Over 250,000 people came for this protest, making it one of the largest in American history. The march went from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial and was very peacful. -
I Have A Dream Speech
Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the speech to 200,000 or 300,000 people in front of the Lincoln Memorial. He spoke of his vision for a better society where everyone can live in equality and peace. All kinds of people came to listen to MLK's speech and they listened to him. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This Act "forbade discrimination on the basis of sex as well as race in hiring, promoting, and firing." The Civil Rights Era made many changes because of the phrase, "equal protection of the laws." During this Era every branch of government did something to make the 14th Amendment truley equal. -
Freedom Summer
During the Summer of 1964 many white college students went to the South. They went to help African Americans register to vote. African American men have been able to vote since 1870; literacy tests, fear, and poll taxes have stopped them. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act outlawed discriminatory voting practice in the US. The Act states, "voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure ... to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color." This Act was created to enforce the 15th Amendment. -
Malcom X
Malcom X was a civil rights activist and black muslim. He was assassinated by a black muslim during one of his rallies. After getting arrested at age 21 and turning to crime he became a minister in Harlem. -
Black Panthers
The Black Panthers were founded by Huey Percy Newton and Bobby Seale in California. They believed that peaceful methods would not create change quickly enough. The organization was created origanally for the protection of African Americans from police. -
James Meredith
In 1992 he became the first African American to attend the University of Mississippi. On June 6, 1966, during a civil rights march (by himself), he was shot by a sniper. James Meredith was know for being a writer in addition to a civil rights activist. -
Thurgood Marshall
LBJ appointed Marshall as the first African-American Supreme Court Justice. He serves until 1991. Marshall won more cases in front of the Supreme Court than any other American lawyer. -
MLK JR Assassination
At 6:01pm MLK was shot by a sniper at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead at 7:05pm. James Earl Ray was arrested but many believe he did not shoot MLK.
