Civil Rights

By FernandoMendoza6909

  • The Emancipation Proclamation

    The Emancipation Proclamation is issued by President Abraham Lincoln freeing the enslaved in the rebellious Confederate states.

  • The Thirteenth Amendment

    The Thirteenth Amendment is passed abolishing slavery in the United States.

  • The 14th amendment passed

    The Fourteenth Amendment is passed guaranteeing all African-Americans the rights of full U.S. citizens.

  • 15 amendment passed

    1870 - The Fifteenth Amendment is passed guaranteeing the right to vote for all citizens regardless of race.

  • Jim Crow laws become common

    1890s - Jim Crow laws become common in many southern states segregating blacks from whites.

  • separate but equal

    The Supreme Court rules that segregation is legal in the Plessy v. Ferguson case using the "separate but equal" argument.

  • 1909 - The NAACP is founded by African american leaders

    The NAACP is founded by African-American leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois and Ida B. Wells.

  • Jackie Robinson Becomes 1st african american baseball player

    1947 - Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American to play major league baseball.

  • President Harry S. Truman ends segregatioin

    1948 - President Harry S. Truman ends segregation in the U.S. armed forces.

  • The Supreme Court rules that segregation in the schools

    1954 - The Supreme Court rules that segregation in the schools is unconstitutional in the Brown v. Board of

  • Rosa Parks is arrested for not giving up her seat on the bus.

    1955 - Rosa Parks is arrested for not giving up her seat on the bus. This sparks the Montgomery Bus Boycott which lasts for over a year. Eventually, segregation on the buses in Montgomery comes to an end.

  • - Nine African-American students in Arkansas go to white school

    1957 - Nine African-American students in Arkansas (nicknamed the Arkansas Nine) attend a previously all-white high school. Army troops are brought in to protect them.

  • - The Freedom Riders protest by riding buses into the segregated southern states challenging their Jim Crow laws.

    1961 - The Freedom Riders protest by riding buses into the segregated southern states challenging their Jim Crow laws.

  • The Birmingham Campaign takes place in Birmingham, Alabama. Schoolchildren marching in non-violent protest are met with police dogs and fire hoses. Martin Luther King, Jr. is arrested and writes his famous letter

    1963 - The Birmingham Campaign takes place in Birmingham, Alabama. Schoolchildren marching in non-violent protest are met with police dogs and fire hoses. Martin Luther King, Jr. is arrested and writes his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail."

  • - The March on Washington by over 200,000 protesters occurs. Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his "I Have a Dream" speech.

    1963 - The March on Washington by over 200,000 protesters occurs. Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his "I Have a Dream" speech.

  • - The Civil Rights Act is signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. It outlaws discrimination based on race, national origin, and gender. It also outlaws segregation and the Jim Crow laws.

    1964 - The Civil Rights Act is signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. It outlaws discrimination based on race, national origin, and gender. It also outlaws segregation and the Jim Crow laws.

  • Martin Luther King, Jr. is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

    • Martin Luther King, Jr. is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

  • Marchers in Selma, Alabama are met by police with tear gas. Several marchers are injured and the day is nicknamed "Bloody Sunday."

    1965 - Marchers in Selma, Alabama are met by police with tear gas. Several marchers are injured and the day is nicknamed "Bloody Sunday."

  • The Voting Rights Act is signed into law making it illegal to prevent any citizen from voting regardless of race.

    1965 - The Voting Rights Act is signed into law making it illegal to prevent any citizen from voting regardless of race.

  • - Race riots erupt in Watts, California.

    1965 - Race riots erupt in Watts, California.

  • President Lyndon Johnson issues an order requiring "Affirmative Action" in hiring minorities for federal government work.

    1965 - President Lyndon Johnson issues an order requiring "Affirmative Action" in hiring minorities for federal government work.

  • - Thurgood Marshall becomes the first African-American Supreme Court Justice.

    1967 - Thurgood Marshall becomes the first African-American Supreme Court Justice.

  • Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.

    1968 - Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.

  • Colin Powell is appointed as the first African-American Secretary of State.

    2000 - Colin Powell is appointed as the first African-American Secretary of State.

  • Barack Obama is the first African-American elected President of the United States.

    2008 - Barack Obama is the first African-American elected President of the United States.