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Plessy v. Ferguson
A court case that assesses the the constitutionality of racial segregation laws. The basis of this court case is "separate, but equal". This outlook was voted by the supreme court justices 7 to 1. -
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Brown v. Board of Education
A landmark supreme court case that establishes segregation of schools is unconstitutional. The decision effectively overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896. Although this became a law many schools, like Little Rock, fail to comply at the beginning. -
Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was a 14 year old boy who was brutally murdered for flirting with a white woman. He was visiting family in the Mississippi when the husband of the woman he flirted with kidnapped him and beat him to death, and throwing his body in the river. His murder case was brought to trial, but the husband was let go with no charges. -
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Montgomery Bus Boycott
Montgomery Bus was segregated with whites sitting in the front and blacks in the back. Rosa Parks was arrested for sitting in the white section which was the beginning on the boycott. MLK and a large group of supporters boycott the bus company, eventually allowing blacks to sit anywhere on the bus. -
SCLC & Martin Luther King
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was a gathering of sixty black ministers and civil rights leaders in Atlanta, Georgia. In December 1961, the SCLC initiated its first direct action campaign in Albany, Georgia. After King's death the SCLC continued fighting for equal rights. -
Little Rock Nine & Central High School
Black students attempt to enter an all white school. Federal troops block their way in the beginning. White protesters gather around and begin taunting them. -
Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
A civil-rights group formed to give younger blacks more of a voice in the civil rights movement. The SNCC eventually became one of the more radical branches of the civil rights movement. Played a large part in the freedom rides lead by MLK. -
Greensboro Sit-In
Young African-American students staged a sit-in at segregated Woolworth's lunch counter on the white section. The students asked to be served and refused to give up their seat. Eventually an angry white mob entered the shop and begin the physically harass the students until the students were arrested. -
Freedom Riders
Groups of whites and blacks who rode on bus trips through the South to protest against segregated bus terminals. This drew the attention of angry police officers as well as horrific violence from white protestors. In contrast however this drew international attention that supported the civil rights cause. -
March on Washington
A massive protest consisting of 250,000 people who gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. This protest was aimed to draw attention to continuing challenged and inequalities faced by blacks in American. Here is were Martin Luther King Jr. gave his iconic "I Have A Dream" speech. -
Freedom Summer
Also known as the Mississippi Summer Project, was a 1964 voter registration drive sponsored by civil rights organizations. Some of these organizations were Congress on Racial Equality (CORE), and SNCC. This was aimed at increasing black voter registration in Mississippi. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights act ended segregation in public areas and banned employment discrimination. It was first proposed by JFK, then signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson. Congress expanded the act and passed additional civil rights legislation. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
Malcolm X was assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights. Before his assassination his home was firebombed. Then he was shot by his former religion the Nation of Islam/ -
Voting Rights Act
This was signed into law by president Lyndon B. Johnson, aimed to overcome legal barriers that prevented blacks from exercising their right to vote. The Voting Rights Act is considered the most far-reaching pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history. Tension in the South further increase which resulted in more violence. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King was fatally shot in Memphis, Tennessee by assassination. His assassination led to an outpour of anger among blacks, and national mourning. His murderer was a man named James Earl Ray who manage to escape authorities for over 2 months.
