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Plessy v. Ferguson
This case is when the Supreme Court questioned the constitutionality of the Jim Crow Laws. It allowed segregation in public facilities as long as they were equal in quality. This case coined the term “separate but equal,” but this ruling was eventually overturned by the Brown vs Board of Education. -
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Brown v. Board of Education
This court case was caused by Linda Brown’s rejection from an all white school in Topeka. The Supreme Court ruled that the segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. This ended up being one of the factors leading to the Civil Rights Movement. -
Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till’s murder was caused by a prank played by Emmett Till on his friends. He flirted with a white woman and her husband and son brutally murdered him. When the murders went to court, they were ruled as not guilty by the all white jury, leaving many outraged. -
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Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a protest where African Americans refused to ride city buses. This was sparked by Rosa Park’s arrest and the Supreme Court called for integration of Montgomery’s buses. This boycott led to the rise of Martin Luther King Jr. -
Founding of Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) & Martin Luther King
The SCLC was formed after the Montgomery Bus Protests to coordinate future protests promoting equality for Blacks. They elected MLK Jr. as their president and adopted a nonviolence policy. The SCLC organized future timeline changing events, like the Selma to Montgomery March and the March on Washington. -
Little Rock Nine & Central High School
When the federal court ordered integration in Central High School, the governor of Arkansas sent the National Guard to prevent it. Eisenhower then sent the military to enforce the court order. Even then, the Little Rock Nine were still unsafe from mobs and riots. This event inspired many others to desegregate their schools. -
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
This group aimed to give the colored youth a voice in the Civil Rights movement.They staged protests like the Greensboro sit-in, and worked with the SCLC to reach a larger audience. It staged the Freedom Rides and the March on Washington, which led to the CIvil Rights Act of 1964. -
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Greensboro Sit-In
This was a planned sit in by young colored students in an all white lunch counter and refused to leave after being denied service. The protesters were arrested for trespassing and disturbing the peace. However, this eventually led to the spread of sit-in protests across the country. -
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Freedom Ride/Freedom Riders
The freedom riders were blacks AND whites that wanted racial equality. The protested segregated bus terminals and used white only facilities. The backlash they faced was often brutal and horrific, but they garnered the attention of millions to the cause. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington was a staged protest involving over 250000 protesters who aimed to draw attention to the racial inequality in America. There was a substantial amount of press coverage and the event had many speakers and speeches, most notably Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech. This would be a big factor that lead to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
Freedom Summer
The freedom summer was an effort to increase black voting registration in the South. It was a voter registration drive and was met with violent resistance from whites, the KKK, and even law enforcement. Then, when two white people were found dead on the second day of the drive, the nation was shaken up and helped speed up the Civil Rights Act. -
Civil Rights Act (1964)
Civil Rights Act (1964) - 7/2/1964 - The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a result of numerous protests, marches and mobs alike. It banned segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination. This changed the future of America forever, because now everyone had equal opportunity to advance economically and socially. -
The assassination of Malcolm X
Before Malcolm X was about to give a speech, he was fatally shot. Many think this was a result of his leave from the Nation of Islam, and many publications didn’t describe him as the Civil Rights Leader he really was. Now two powerful voices in the civil rights movement were dead. -
Voting Rights Act
8/6/1965 - This act aimed to circumvent any legal barriers that prevented African American voting participation. It was signed in 1965 within the presence of other civil rights activists. Voter turnout increased substantially after the Act was signed into law. -
Assassination of MLK
In 1968, MLK was assassinated in Memphis Tennessee. 8 This led to outrage among African Americans and a period of national mourning. This caused the expediting of the Housing Bill, the last significant legislative achievement of the civil rights era.
