-
The Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson.This decision was a major legal victory that paved the way for school integration and energized the civil rights movement. -
14-year-old Emmett Till was lynched in Mississippi for allegedly offending a white woman. His mother held an open-casket funeral to show the brutality.The public reaction to the photo of his mutilated body helped spark national attention and activism. -
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus. This led to a year-long boycott of Montgomery buses. It was one of the first major mass protests and launched Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. into national leadership. -
Nine Black students faced violent opposition while integrating Central High School in Arkansas. This event forced federal action to uphold school desegregation laws. -
Four Black college students sat at a whites-only counter and refused to leave. The protest spread across the South.It showed the power of nonviolent protest and youth leadership. -
Black and white activists rode buses into the segregated South to challenge illegal segregation in interstate travel.They exposed Southern resistance and forced federal enforcement of desegregation laws. -
MLK wrote this letter while jailed for protesting segregation in Birmingham. He defended civil disobedience.It became a key text explaining the moral reasoning behind the Civil Rights Movement. -
Over 250,000 people gathered to demand civil and economic rights. MLK gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.It showed broad support for civil rights and helped influence future legislation. -
A bomb exploded at a Black church in Birmingham, killing four young girls.It shocked the nation and galvanized support for the Civil Rights Movement. -
This amendment banned poll taxes in federal elections.It removed a key barrier that had been used to prevent Black Americans from voting. -
This law banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It was one of the most comprehensive civil rights laws in U.S. history. -
Peaceful marchers were violently attacked by police while crossing a bridge in Selma, Alabama. The brutality led to national outrage and helped push the Voting Rights Act forward. -
This law banned literacy tests and gave the federal government the power to oversee voter registration in certain areas.It enforced the 15th Amendment and significantly increased Black voter registration. -
The Supreme Court ruled that state bans on interracial marriage were unconstitutional. It struck down racist marriage laws and affirmed marriage as a basic civil right.