-
Plessy v. Ferguson
In the 19th century Plessy, a man 7/8ths Caucasian took a seat in the “whites only” railway car and refused to give up his seat. As a result, he was arrested and brought into court, were the Supreme Court ruled that the Louisiana laws which allowed for segregation were constitutional. This ruling was significant, as it allowed the continuation of Jim Crow Laws, and the “Separate but Equal” doctrine in which colored people would continually be subservient to whites for years to come. -
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
This court case came as African Americans sued to end segregated public schools. The Supreme Court ruled that segregation was a violation of Fourteenth Amendment rights, undoing the precedent set by the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. This had an impact, as it ordered desegregation in systems of public education—a mandate that wouldn’t always be followed, and would often lead to violent opposition--and stated that separation was inherently unequal, and destructive for African American well-being. -
Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was a 14-year-old African American boy who went to Mississippi to visit some family. He was kidnapped late into the night and murdered by two Anglo-Americans after speaking to a young white lady. This event is significant as it galvanized the Civil Right Movement in America and shone a light onto the horrors faced by African Americans; the fact that a fully white jury acquitted the suspects served to add momentum to the feelings of injustice that were flying due to this case. -
Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott (December 1, 1955; December 5, 1955-December 20, 1956)
A revolutionary movement began as Rosa Parks refused to surrender her seat on a bus and was arrested. Afterwards, the Montgomery Improvement Organization helped organize a massive boycott of the Montgomery Bus System in order to end segregation. These events were important as they forced an end this segregation, as the Supreme Court dictated it unconstitutional in 1856. The boycott led to similar actions in other cities, and to the formation of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. -
Founding of Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) & Martin Luther King
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was formed from the foundations of the Montgomery Improvement Organization, and worked with organizations such as the NAACP, SNCC, and CORE. The organization started its fight for civil rights under Martin Luther King Jr., and later expanded to deal with issues of economic equality. The SCLC had an impact, as it advocated peaceful resistance, a radical idea at a time when it was widely accepted that change could only come though the judicial system. -
Little Rock Nine & Central High School
After the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, the Little Rock Nine attempted to attend Central High School. In response to the Governor ordering the state’s National Guard to block the student's entry, Eisenhower sent in federal troops to force cooperation. These events are important, as they marked the beginning of what would be the battle of integration; it gave new legitimacy to the civil rights movement, and inspired similar attempts of integration in other states. -
Greensboro Sit-In
The Greensboro sit-ins were a sequence of peaceful demonstrations that began as African American students sat at the “whites-only” section of a lunch counter and demanded service. This won nation-wide attention, and led desegregation. These events are important as it was a powerful victory for African American non-violent protests, and would lead to the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. This sit-in movement would spread all over the nation with similar victories. -
Freedom Ride/Freedom Riders
Freedom Rides occurred as interracial Americans worked with the Council of Racial Equality (CORE). They traveled in buses throughout the deep South, pushing for the desegregation of public bus transportation. These Freedom Rides impacted the US, as it pushed President Kennedy to end the segregation of all bus stations. Its success spread to other regions of the south, and the Jim Crow laws that placed obstacles on the freedoms of African Americans were challenged in ever increasing ways. -
March on Washington
The 1963 March on Washington was a large illustration of non-violent direct action, and included over 250,000 people. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech and helped draw attention to the need for a world with equality. The March on Washington was significant, as it helped bring attention to the need for desegregation, and for economic equality among both races. The March on Washington also lead to the Civil Rights Act on 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) (April 1960) & Freedom Summer (June 1964)
Freedom Summer was an event organized by SNCC. They increased African-American voter turn out in the South, and established “freedom schools,” that taught African American history. Freedom Summer had an impact in the US, by elevating the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party--to see who would represent the state--and taught Africa Americans that they had a right to vote; it challenged the obstacles set by Jim Crow laws, and increased voting rights--as later seen in the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed racial segregation everywhere; it was the most inclusive civil rights legislation ever passed by Congress. The bill had been sent to Congress by President John Kennedy in 1963, but was only able to pass after his death, as President Johnson made it his main goal. The law had an impact as it demolished segregation in education, housing, public facilities, and jobs, and created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which ensured fair hiring practices. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
Malcom X advocated violence when necessary to defend African-Americans from oppression—this philosophy was very different from that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Malcolm X was assassinated while he was giving a speech in New York City. His death was important, as it created a martyr for the civil right movement. His ideas didn’t die with him, and he would continue to inspire the minds of other young African-Americans with his uncompromising view of what African Americans should fight for. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act was passed by President Johnson. It abolished poll taxes, and obstacles that had previously barred African American votes. This law was important as it increased voter turnout, and heightened the importance of politicians appealing to African Americans--leading more Democratic leaders to reshape their beliefs to better fit African Americas. Hundreds of African Americans were voted into political office, and Robert C. Weaver was the first African American cabinet member. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was shot in a Memphis motel as he was preparing to march on behalf of a strike by Memphis sanitation workers. James Earl Ray was found guilty for the crime and sentenced to 99 years in prison. MLK’s death was important as the assassination represented a hard blow against the Civil Rights Movement. In the days following, racial violence broke out in over 100 American cities, and MLK was revered throughout the nation as a leader who gave his life in the service of others.
