-
Period: to
Civil Rights
-
Supreme Court rules on the case Brown v. Board of Education
Chief Justice Earl Warren, broke with long tradition and unanimously overruled the "separate but equal" doctrine of Plessy v. Fergusonholding for the first time that de jure segregation in the public schools violated the principle of equal protection under the law guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It is a victory for NAACP attorney Thurgood Marshall.
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0809176.html -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white passanger at Montgomery, Alabama. She was then arrested which cause the Montgomery black community to launch a bus boycott, which lasted for more than a year.
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/par0bio-1 -
"Little Rock Nine"
An all-white Central High School blocks the entering of the school ,on the orders of Governor Orval Faubus, to 9 students. President Eisenhower sends federal troops and the National Guard to intervene on the behalf of the students.
http://www.centralhigh57.org/index.html -
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).
The SNCC is founded at Shaw University, providing young blacks with a place in the civil rights movement. It later grows into a more radical organization, especially under the leadership of Stokely Carmichael.
http://www.ibiblio.org/sncc/ -
James Meredith
James Meredith becomes the first black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. Violence and riots surrounding the incident cause President Kennedy to send 5,000 federal troops.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmeredith.htm -
Equal Pay Act
Congress passes the Equal Pay Act, making it illegal for employers to pay a woman less than what a man would receive for the same job. -
"I Have a Dream"
About 200,000 participants join the March on Washington to listen to Martin Luther King as he delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech.
http://www.mlkonline.net/dream.html -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibiting descrimination of all kinds based on race, color, religion, or national origin. Also providing the federal government with the power to enforce desegregation. Also bars discrimination in employment on the basis of race and sex. -
Malcolm X
A nationalist and founder of the Organization of Afro-American Unity, is shot to death. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Congress passes the Voting Rights Act of 1965, making it easier for Southern blacks to register to vote. Literacy tests, poll taxes, and other such requirements that were used to restrict black voting are made illegal.
http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/intro/intro_b.php -
The National Organization for Women (NOW)
The National Organization for Women (NOW) is founded by a group of feminists including Betty Friedan. The largest women's rights group in the U.S., NOW seeks to end sexual discrimination, especially in the workplace, by means of legislative lobbying, litigation, and public demonstrations.
http://www.now.org/ -
Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King, at age 39, is shot as he stands on the balcony outside his hotel room. Escaped convict and committed racist James Earl Ray is convicted of the crime. -
Civil Rights Act of 1968
President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing.
http://www.examiner.com/this-day-history-in-national/civil-rights-act-of-1968 -
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. Originally drafted by Alice Paul in 1923, the amendment reads: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." The amendment died in 1982 when it failed to achieve ratification by a minimum of 38 states. -
The Pregnancy Descrimination Act
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act bans employment discrimination against pregnant women. Under the Act, a woman cannot be fired or denied a job or a promotion because she is or may become pregnant, nor can she be forced to take a pregnancy leave if she is willing and able to work.
http://www.aauw.org/act/laf/library/pda.cfm
http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/pregnancy.cfm -
Civil Rights Act of 1991
President Bush reverses himself and signs the Civil Rights Act of 1991, strengthening existing civil rights laws and providing for damages in cases of intentional employment discimination.
http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/history/35th/1990s/civilrights.html -
Rosa Parks dies
Rosa Parks dies at age 92. -
Civil Rights Act of 2008
Senator Edward Kennedy introduces the Civil Rights Act of 2008. Ensuring that federal funds are not used to subsidize discrimination, holding employers accountable for age discrimination, and improving accountability for other violations of civil rights and workers' rights.
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/laborprof_blog/2008/01/civil-rights-ac.html
