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A. Philip Randolph threatened to organize a march on Washington
The threat took place shortly after President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a state of the union address proclaiming Four Freedoms for all: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. Speech date: January 6, 1941. The threat invoked Roosevelt to issue Executive Order 8802 which prohibited, “discrimination in the employment of workers in defense industries and in Government because of race, creed, color, or national origin.” -
Blacks served admirably in the war
Prior to WWII only a few thousand African Americans served in the military, after the war that number increased to well over a million. African Americans began as support groups, but they worked up the later as honorable units. All-black or mostly black units such as the 320th Anti-Aircraft Barrage Balloon Battalion, the 761st Tank Battalion and the Tuskegee Airmen fought their way through Europe and earned reputations as courageous, honorable soldiers -
Executive Order 9981
Enticed by brave and honorable efforts by African Americans during World War II, President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9981. The executive order abolished discrimination "on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin" in the United States Armed Services . The executive order eventually led to the end of segregation in the United States Armed Services. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Consolidating five cases into one, The Supreme Court decided in Brown v. Board of Education effectively ending racial segregation in all public schools. Against all efforts to desegregate schools, many schools however, remained segregated -
Rosa Parks
Segregation in public locations and public services such as public transportation and public restrooms were aggressively segregated. Civil Rights activist Rosa Park, refused to give up her seat for a white person on public transportation. Thus leading into a year long of the Montgomery bus boycott which heavily influenced public transportation. -
Little Rock Nine
Even though multiple laws passed to desegregate schools and United States Armed Services (including Executive Order 9981,Brown v. Board of Education), a group of African American students were blocked off entering Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Thus prompting President Dwight D. Eisenhower eventually sends federal troops to escort the students. -
Governor George C. Wallace
Governor George C. Wallace governor of the state of Alabama, stands in a doorway at the University of Alabama to block two black students from registering. In doing so he violated multiple laws including the Brown V. Board of education. The standoff continued until President John F. Kennedy sent the National Guard to uphold the law at the Alabama campus. -
The March on Washington
Approximately a quarter of a million people take part in The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. At The March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. gives the closing address in front of the Lincoln Memorial and states, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’” Later on he would be assassinated on April 4, 1968 -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
After numerous and continues peace rallies by African Americans and other civil activist, President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 worked on preventing employment discrimination due to race, color, sex, religion or national origin. Title VII of the Act establishes the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to help prevent workplace discrimination. -
Malcolm X
Malcolm X was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist. He was a popular figure in the civil rights movement after the assassination of Martin Luther King Junior. Best known for his controversial advocacy for the rights of African Americans; some consider him a man who indicted white America for its crimes against black Americans, while others accuse him of preaching racism and violence. During an activist rally, X was assassinated by members of the Nation of Islam.
