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Brown vs. Board of Education
U.S. Supreme Court bans segregation in public schools. -
Rosa Parks Arrest
Rosa Parks a 47 year old African American after a long day of working, refuses to give up her seat for a white man and is arrested. This causes boycotting and uproar in the black community. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
After Rosa Park's arrest, a boycot was formed that lasted 381 days and ended when the Supreme Court ruled that the bus segregation laws in Alabama were unconstitutional. -
Martin Luther King's Famous "I Had A Dream" speech
250,000 civil-rights supporters attended the March on Washington. At the Lincoln Memorial, King delivers the famous "I have a dream" speech to call an end to racism. -
Malcolm X's Assassination
Malcolm X is murdered. Three men are convicted of his murder. The chaos that broke out at the scene spilled into the streets of Harlem as mob violence and the firebombing of a Black Muslim mosque followed. Malcolm's critics, including Elijah Muhammad, maintained that he died by the very violence he defended in his early career. -
Martin Luther King Jr Assassination
The effect of his assassination was immediate rioting in more than 100 US cities. Martin Luther King had always advocated peaceful protests (modeled by Gandhi). At the same time there were other active Black Power groups like the Black Panthers and the followers of Malcolm X who were saying violence was sometimes necessary. When MLK was assassinated, his followers felt like "no one" was listening to peace and violence really was the only way. The assassinations of MLK and later of JFK led to