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Plessy vs. Ferguson
Congress declares that "separate but equal facilities" are constitutional. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
Supreme Court reverses Plessy vs. Ferguson stating that seperate schools are "by nature unequal." -
Montgomery Bus Boycott Starts
Rosa Parks officially starts the Montgomery Bus Boycott by refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. She is arrested. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott Ends
The Montgomery Bus Boycott finally comes to an end. After just over one year of black protesting against and entirely refusing to use the local busses, the Supreme Court stepped in and desegregated the bus systems. -
Little Rock Nine
Nine African American students are rejected from Little Rock Central High School. They are met by angry mobs, police squadrons, and a distasteful atmosphere. -
Freedom Riders
The first group of Freedom Riders left Washington D.C. They rode to the south to protest segregation. The group included blacks and whites, and almost all were brutally beaten when they arrived at southern bus stations. -
Letter From Birmingham Jail
After being arrested during a nonviolent protest, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a series of letters about his attitude and reasoning towards the protesting. -
Bombing of Birmingham Church
After the Children's marches, a bomb was planted in the Birmingham Church, Killing four innocent African American girls, the youngest being 11. This opened the nation's eyes to the issue, and was considered a major turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. -
Civil Rights Act Passed
Congress passes a new law that prohibits any racial discrimination in social areas such as employment, hotels, voting, and schools. -
Civil Rights Restoration Act
Congress vetos President Reagan and passes Civil Rights Restoration Act which prohibits segregation/discrimination in private institutions. -
Civil Rights Act of 1991
President Bush signs the Civil Rights Act of 1991 which "strengthens existing Civil Rights Laws, and provides for damages in cases of international employment discrimination." -
Barack Obama Elected
This marks the date where the first black president was elected in America.