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Plessy v. Ferguson
The case was that a black man bought a first class ticket for a train but the first class was on for white people, so he wasn't allowed to sit there. He took this to the Supreme Court and they ruled in the train companies favor. They claimed the famous "separate but equal" doctrine. This validated segregation and made it legal under the law. Jim Crow laws became ever more prevalent now that they were protected. This case would later be overturned in Brown v. Board of Education. -
Jackie Robinson joins the MLB
The GM of the Dodgers,Rickey, knew that there were plenty of good black baseball players in the negro leagues and that it was time to try to integrate the MLB.He went out to find a player that he thought was right for the job; they would need to be thick skinned and not fight back. He eventually found Jackie Robinson and signed him to the MLB. Robinson endured a lot of hate from people but didn't break. This later led to other black players coming to the league and a generation being inspired. -
To Secure These Rights Report
President Truman wasn't to big on civil rights but he did believe in equality before the law. There wasn't much support for civil rights in the government so Truman created the Presidential Committee on Civil Rights who made the "To Secure These Rights" report. This report called for federal action for black equality and gave recommendations for this. It helped bring awareness and spring people into action. It caused Truman to sign executive orders and call on Congress. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The NAACP wanted to bring a case to the court that would challenge the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling that enabled segregation. They decided to try to send a black elementary girl to a local white elementary school. The Supreme Court sided with Brown and overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling and said that separate couldn't be equal. This was a huge step in desegregation but it still would take a while for desegregation to occur. This made a name for the lawyer Marshall. -
Emmett Till murdered
A black boy, Emmitt Till, from Chicago was visiting family in Mississippi. He was seen allegedly talking to a white woman, so two white men kidnapped him. He was brutally beaten and shot and killed. The two men were later arrested and held in an all white court. This court deemed them not guilty and they were set free; these men would later admit to the crime in a magazine. This abstraction of justice infuriated African Americans and would help push them to act. -
Rosa Parks won't give up seat
Rosa Parks was an NAACP activist and planned to refuse to get up on a bus to spark change. In Alabama she refused to get up from her seat for a white man. She was arrested and the black community was enraged. They chose to retaliate by planning a bus boycott where over 40,000 blacks boycotted the bus system for over a year. A majority of the bus companies customers were black so this severely hurt their business. The bus company eventually gave in and segregation on them was ended. -
Little Rock Nine
The ruling of Brown v. Board of Education still wasn't being followed and segregation was still occurring in schools. This segregation was still backed by local governments. To combat this, civil rights leaders decided to send nine students to a local school.However, the local government was intent on blocking their entrance and people came to try and stop them.The national guard was sent and stopped them. Eventually, Eisenhower ordered that they be allowed in and sent troops to make sure of it. -
Lunch Counter Sit-ins
Segregation in the food industry was a big problem with lots of restaurants being for whites only. Four Black Civil Rights activists sat down at a lunch counter in a department store in Greensboro, NC to combat this. They were denied service and kept coming back day after day. They got a lot of attention with other blacks joining in and whites protesting them. This inspired others across the south to go to other lunch counters. Eventually, the lunch counter gave in and served the boys lunch. -
MLK Jailed
While protesting in the very racist city of Birmingham, Alabama, MLK was arrested and put in jail for eight days. The black community was outraged that one of their very influential leaders was jailed. However, King turned it into a positive. He wrote "Letter from Birmingham Jail" while in jail. In this letter King argued that people had a moral duty to disobey unjust laws. This would become an important document that would inspire millions and help the civil rights cause. -
Children's Crusade
The civil rights movement was growing and now kids wanted to help support it. A walk-out for students was scheduled by civil rights leaders in Birmingham, Alabama. Thousands of students participated and marched downtown. A lot of them were arrested but then freed and went back. "Bull" Connor was there to try and stop it and ordered that they be sprayed with hoses and dogs attack them.This display was televised and helped make people more sympathetic to the cause. This included president Kennedy. -
March on Washington "I have a dream" speech
President Kennedy was trying to bring about a new civil rights bill. To build more support for this bill, the civil rights leaders staged a massive demonstration in Washington D.C. that was endorsed by Kennedy. Over 400,000 people were in attendance from all over the country. It was here that MLK gave his famous "I have a dream" speech that fired up the whole nation and inspired lots of people. Shortly after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. -
Birmingham Church Bombing
To protest the civil rights movement, a group of racist whites decided to bomb the 16th St Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. This church was targeted because it was a popular spot for civil rights meetings. The building was supposed to be empty for the bombing; however, a girls choir practice was going on and four young black girls were killed with several more injured. This heavily enraged the black community and resulted in riots that took the lives of two young black men. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights movement had been building up for a while. JFK was advocating for a new civil rights bill but was assassinated. President Johnson took up the mantel of advocating for a new bill. Using JFK's death and other things, he was finally able to get Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and signed it. It outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin. Although it didn't immediately end discrimination, it was groundbreaking. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a step in the right direction. However, it didn't remove obstacles from black voting. In the south, only a small number of blacks were registered to vote. Civil rights activists tried to get more blacks registered but were met with hostility and obstacles. It was becoming evident that a law would need to be passed to protect their vote, so the Voting Rights Act was finally passed that banned discrimination in elections. States were threaten to comply with this. -
March on Montgomery
Civil Rights leaders were able to get the Civil Right Act of 1964 passed but still faced many obstacles when voting.To protest this and hopefully get a law protecting their rights, 600 people attempted to march from Selma to Montgomery. However, they were stopped at Edmund Pettus bridge and brutally attacked.They came back again with more people but turned away. Finally they showed up with 25000 people and made it into the capital. A voting rights act was soon passed.