African American Civil Rights Movement Timeline

  • 14th Amendment

    This amendment states automatic civilization to people born on American soil. This also applies to formal slaves. This falls under the law catagory.
  • 13th Amendemnt

    This amendment is most famously known for the abolishment of slavery. It also states that involuntary servitude is illegal, unless it is a jury ordered punishment. This falls in the Law catagory.
  • 15th Amendment

    This amendment granted Black men the right to vote. This meant even if they were formal victims of servitude. This falls under the Law category.
  • Plessy. V. Ferguson

    This case tested the constitutionality of racial segregation. Plessy was only 1/8 white, and was taken to trial when he refused to leave the white car of a train. This was a Court Decision
  • Wilmington Coup

    A massacre that occurred during 1898. This happened due to White supremacists overthrowing the biracial government. This is a Protest.
  • Formation of the NAACP

    The NAACP stands for National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. An American Civil rights orginization that advocated for equal rights.
  • Truman Desegregated the US Military

    Trumansigned order declaring equal treatment for equal treatment for the military. This ordered desegregation for US Military. This is a court decision.
  • Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas

    This event decided that segregation in schools was unconstitutional. Ended legal segregation in schools, but that doesn't mean people were treated the equal. This was a Court Decision.
  • Emmett Till's Murder

    The murder of Emmett Till was a Lynching in 1955 in Mississippi. Emmett was an innocent 14 year old boy who was falsely accused of offending a white woman. This resulted in his murder. Supreme court case.
  • Rosa Parks is arrested/ Montgomery Bus Boycott

    Rosa Parks was arrested for her refusal to give up her bus seat for a white person. Parks was an activist for civil rights. This was a Protest.
  • Little Rock Nine

    These students were the first 9 students to integrate into a public high school. They faced a lot of hate and slander, which played a significant role in the civil rights moevment. Protest.
  • Civil Rights Act of 1957

    President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed this law. It was in order to protect voting rights and civil rights in general. Court Decision.
  • Freedom Rides

    This event was a series of bus rides that were attempting to end segregation on buses. This was enforced to try to reenstate the actions in Boyton V Virginia. This was a Protest.
  • Greensboro Sit-In

    An non-violent protest where 4 African- American students did a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth. The students were named Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain, and Joseph McNeil. This was a protest.
  • March on Washington for Jobs/ MLK's I Have A Dream Speech

    This event marked an important point in The Civil Rights Movement. This advocated for economic rights. This is also where MLK gave his famous 'I Have A Dream' speech. This was a protest.
  • Civil Rights Act of 1964

    This was a law that advocated for the termination of discrimination that was influenced by ones identity. This law was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. This was a Protest.
  • March From Selma To Montogomery

    These were three different marches led by MLK. They were advocating for voting rights for people of color. This was a Protest.
  • Voting Rights Act of 1965

    This was signed into affect by President Johnson.It works against racial discrimination when it comes to voting. This was a protest, that was then turned into a law.
  • Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

    This date marks the day that MLK was assassinated from his hotel balcony. He was shot by James Earl Ray. This was a Violent Action.
  • Swann vs. Charlotte- Mecklenburg Schools

    This advocated for school desegregation by using busing. This was nearly 17 years after Brown V. Board. This was a court decision.