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Brown v Board of Education of Topeka
This case was concerning the issue of segregation in public schools, specifically in Topeka, Kansas. This was because black and white schools were not equal and never could be. The case went to the Supreme Court and it was decided that the segregation violated the 14th Ammendment's Equal Protection Clause. -
The Murder of Emmett Till
14 year old Emmett Till was murdered by two white men while visiting family in Money, Mississippi. He was targeted after speaking to a white woman in a store. He did not know the rules because of being from the North, but his killers were not found guilty. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
This boycott lasted until the 20th of December 1956. It began when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus. She was arrested but later released. The purpose of this boycott was to end the segregation of public transportation. -
Student Sit-Ins Begin
Four freshman at a college in North Carolina began student sit-ins. These sit-ins were designed to end segragation at southern lunch counters. These small protests spread very quickly through the South and led to the founding of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). -
March on Washington
On this day, over 200,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C. for a political rally. The rally was called the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. At this rally, Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act outlawed discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It ended racial segregation in schools, public facilities, and the work place. -
March from Selma to Montgomery
This was a march led by Martin Luther King Jr.'s organization the SCLC. Its focus was to register African American voters in the South. The marchers walked for three days to reach Montgomery. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
An act signed by President Lyndon Johnson to overcome local legal barriers that prevented African Americans from voting. -
Civil Rights Act of 1968
This act provided equal housing opportunities regardles of race, creed, or national origin. It also made committing racial discrimination a federal offense. -
Gates v Collier
This brought an end to the Trustee System and inmate abuse in prisons. It also constituted cruel and unusual punishement as a violation of the eighth ammendment.
