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13th Amendment
The amendment to abolish slavery was passed by The United States Congress. However, discrimination towards people of color still runs ramped, especially in the south. -
Jim Crow Laws
Jim Crow Laws were created and used to enforced segregation and legalize discriminations between people of color and white people. -
Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday
Written and composed by Abel Meeropol, "Strange Fruit" was recorded by Billie Holiday. The song is about rise of lynching of Black Americans especially in the south. The song has been referred to as the beginning of the civil rights movement. -
World War 2
World War Two begins and war on Japan has been declared by US President Franklin D Roosevelt . Black Americans served faced discrimination when they returned. -
Claudette Colvin
Claudette Colvin, a 15 year old student, refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white woman and was arrested. Due to the fact that she was an a minor, pregnant and unmarried, Montgomery black leaders did not defend her case. -
School Intergration
Many schools have still not integration despite the court ruling that all state schools should move towards integration, -
Emmett Till
14 year-old African American boy Emmett Till was murdered after allegedly offending the owner of the grocery store he was in. His mother insisted the funeral service be public and her son’s body be put on display so that the all of his injuries could be seen. His killers were arrested and tried but acquitted . Attention and support to the Civil Rights Movement grew. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus. -
Linda Brown
The first case in 1950s and 1960s for the Civil Rights Movement. An 8 year African American girl, Linda Brown, was denied entry at an all white elementary school in Topeka, Kansas. Her father took the case to court. The Supreme Court Chief Justice decided that the segregation of schools went against the 14th Amendment. -
Freedom Rides
Members of the Congress on Racial Equality began ‘Freedom Rides’. This was done by boarding Greyhound busses and traveling through southern states protesting at continued segregation on buses. These rides were met with a lot of violence. -
John F. Kennedy
US President John F. Kennedy stated segregation was legally and morally wrong and that he will introduce new civil rights legislation. -
Million Person March
Martin Luther King Jr lead the 1 million Person March through Washington D.C. and delivered the famous ‘I Have a Dream’. -
Malcom X
Leader of prolific religious group, Nation of Islam, Malcolm X, left to join the Civil Rights Movement. -
The Times They Are a-Changin' - Bob Dylan
"The Times They Are a-Changin'" is an album by Bob Dylan. The album was controversial as is discussed issues like racism, poverty, and social change. He felt the title captured the spirit of social and political upheaval in the 1960s. -
A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke
"A Change Is Gonna Come" is written and sang by Sam Cooke. Cooke's life inspired the song, like when he and his entourage were turned away from a motel in Louisiana for whites-only. He felt he needed to write a song that spoke to his struggle, the Civil Rights Movement and African Americans. -
Lyndon B. Johnson
US President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into action. The law states that discrimination against race, color, nationality, religion or sex was illegal. -
Malcom X Assassination
Malcolm X was assassinated in New York City, New York by members of the Nation of Islam. -
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party was formed in California by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. Members challenged police brutality and would use violence if necessary. -
MLK Assassination
Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated by James Earl Ray at the Lorraine Motel while Dr. King stood on the balcony.
