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Sweatt v Painter
Herman Sweatt wanted to attend UT Law School. UT create a separate law school just to keep Sweatt out. This event is significant because, The Supreme Court ruled failed to qualify as “separate but equal”, since it isolated students completely from the school due to their skin color. -
Brown v Board of Education
Supreme Court case in which the justices ruled unanimously that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. Brown v. Board of Education was one of the cornerstones of the civil rights movement, and helped establish the precedent that “separate-but-equal” education and other services were not, in fact, equal at all. This event is significant because it challenged the ideal that segregation was acceptable and was a beginning for the civil rights movement. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
In 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus to a white passenger and was arrested. This arrest led to a bus boycott led by Martin Luther King, that lasted 13 months. The Courts ruled that the bus lined had violated the “Equal protection” clause of the 14th amendment. This act is significant because its one of the beginnings of the civil rights movement, where African Americans truly showed their willingness to fight for their rights. -
Little Rock Nine
Arkansas Governor Orval Fabus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to surround Little Rock’s Central High to prevent 9 African American students from enrolling, even after the supreme court ruling of Brown VS. Board of Education. President Eisenhower ordered federal troops to escort the students safely into the school Gov. Fabus closed the school until courts forced its reopening. This event is significant because it showed that even though desegregation was going to happen slowly, it would.
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Civil Rights Act of 1957
Pres. Eisenhower passed the Civil Rights Act to increase African American voting in the south. The act also was meant to create a a Civil Rights Commission giving the federal courts the power to register African American voters. This act is significant because it promoted the right for African Americans to vote but since
Registration procedures were so complex that the act was ineffective. -
Greensboro Four
Four African American students, the Greensboro Four, held a sit-in at a “Whites-Only” lunch counter in North Carolina.The non-violent sit-ins spread. As a result of these non-violent protests lunch counters were desegregated and the federal government was compelled to help. -
Affirmative Action
LBJ signs executive order requiring employers with the federal government to take positive steps to increase minority employees, later women were added.Affirmative Action programs increased the number of minorities in colleges and businesses, This event is significant because it promoted diversity. -
March on Birmingham
One of the most influential campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement: Project C, better known as The Birmingham Campaign. It would be the beginning of a series of lunch counter sit-ins, marches on City Hall and boycotts on downtown merchants to protest segregation laws in the city. the peaceful demonstrations would be met with violent attacks using high-pressure fire hoses and police dogs on men, women and children alike. The event is significant due to the intensity of protests. -
March on Washington
To gain support for a Civil Rights bill before Congress MLK led a “March on Washington." There he gave his famous "I have a dream speech". King would later meet with president Kennedy.JFK would be assassinated months later, but there was a new willingness to pass Civil Rights legislation, because he believed in this cause.This event is significant because MLK showed his believe to the people and encouraged his community to keep fighting, he also got the attention of the president. -
Freedom Summer
A voter registration drive sponsored by civil rights organizations including the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Aimed at increasing black voter registration in Mississippi, Freedom Summer workers included black Mississippians and more than 1,000 out-of-state, predominately white volunteers.authorities caused arrest and murdered at least 3 people. This event is significant because it showed that change was being fought for. -
24th Amendment
This amendment eliminated poll taxes in federal elections, and this prevented discrimination against African Americans and poor people due to their economic condition. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 “prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, or ethnic background in hotels, restaurants, and all places of employment doing business with the federal government.” The act was passed after president Kennedy died and Lyndon Johnson became president and push through new legislation on civil rights. This event is significant because this act demanded respect and equality for not only African Americans but anyone. -
March on Selma
MLK led marches in Selma, Alabama to demand voting rights for African Americans, but demonstrators were attacked by the police. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act was signed by LBJ, it ended poll taxes and led to an increase in the number of black voters. This act is significant because thanks to the removal of poll taxes, black voters actually exercise their right to vote