-
Period: to
45-60
-
Morgan vs Virginia
Irene Morgan had been standing for several miles on a public bus and also sitting on a friends lap for several miles and decided to sit in a seat 3 rows back in front of white passengers. When the bus became more full the bus driver asked her to move so white passengers could sit according to state laws but she refused and was forcefully removed from the seat, arrested, and fined. She refused to pay the fine and took this case to court. On June 3, 1946, the Supreme Court announced its decision. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
The Supreme Court rules in Brown v. Board of Education that public school segregation violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and in 1955 orders that desegregation proceed "with all deliberate speed." -
Muder of Emmitt Till
He was kidnapped, brutally beaten, shot, and his body was dumped in the Tallahatchie River. Roy Bryant and his half-brother, J. W. Milam, were arrested for the murder. The all-white jury in took just over an hour to reach their verdict to acquit them. With double-jeopardy protecting them from being retried, they later boasted about the murder in a Look magazine interview. His mom had an open casket during the funeral to show what had been done to him. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
A political case which started when Rosa Parks refused to give up a seat on the bus and was arrested for it. The Supreme Court decided that the Alabama and Montgomery laws requiring segregated buses were unconstitutional. -
LIttle Rock Nine
The little rock nine were a group of African-American students who were enrolled at Little Rock Central High which had been an all white school previously due to segregation. When the Supreme Court declared all segregated schools unconstitutional, these students were allowed to go there, but the governor of Arkansas sent troops to keep them out. The President sent the 101st airborne to escort them into the school. -
Sit-Ins
A group of boys from college went into a store to buy books and papers. After buying their supplies they sat down at a lunch counter which was segregated and tried to order but were not. The boys continued to sit until the store was closed. The next day a larger group of students went into the store and more groups continued in other stores. The basic plan of the sit-ins was that a group of students would go to a lunch counter and ask to be served. If they were, they would move on to the next lu -
Civil Rights Act
This was an attempt to be able to get more african-americans the right to vote. The act only actually added about 3% of black voters. The act stated that there would be penalties for anyone who obstructed someone's attempt to register to vote or actually vote.