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Montgomery bus boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was an important event in the American Civil Rights movement, occurring in Montgomery, Alabama where buses were divided by race, requiring black passengers to ride at the back. On the first of december 1955, A black woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person, resulting in her being arrested and sent to jail. In protest, up to 40,000 black passengers boycotted the service for nearly a year, resulting in the government desegregating the service. -
The desegregation of Little Rock Central High School
Little Rock Central High School was legally segregated for much of it's early history. In a 1954 US Suprme court ruling, such segregation in public schools was deemed to be unconstitutional. This school was the focal point of the Little Rock integration crisis of 1947, in which 9 black students were denied entrance to the school in defiance to the previous supreme court ruling. -
The murder of Medgar Evers
Medgar Evers was a civil rights activist in Mississippi who tried to end segregation at the University of Mississippi and to enact equal voting and social rights. He became the field secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People. Following a Supreme Court ruling, determining that it was unconstitutional to segregate coloured schools, Medgar attampted to gain admissions for Black people to public schools. He was murdered by a member of the white citicen's council. -
The March on Washington
The March on Washington occurred in Washington, D.C on the 28th of August, 1963. The aim of the march was to advocate for civil and economic rights for black american citizens. During the march, Martin Luther King Jr stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered his speech "I have a dream", in which he called for a national end to racism. Approximately 250,000 people participated in the march, 70% of which being black. The march was one of the largest human rights rallies in US History. -
the Baptist Church bombing
The bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church was commuted as an act of white supremacist influenced terrorism, in Alabama in September, 1963. The bombing took place when four members of the Klu Klux Klan planted around 15 sticks of dynamite beneath the steps of the church, attached to a timing device. The following explosion killed four girls injuring many more. Dr Martin Luther King Jr described the explosion as "one of the most vicious and tragic crimes ever perpetrated against humanity" -
Los Angeles Riots
The Los Angeles Riots, also known as the South Central Riots or the Rodney King riots were a series of lootings, arsons and riots that occurred in the Los Angeles county of California in 1992, starting in April, after a trial jury acquitted four officers of the police department of the use of excessive force in the arrest and beating of Rodney King, which was caught on camera. Over a six day period, thousands of people rioted in the metropolitan areas following the announcement of the verdict.
