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Brown vs the Board of Education
The Brown vs Board of Education was a case related to racial segregation in public schools. Brown believed it was unconstitutional. The court eventually overturned the "separate but equal" ruling from the case of Plessy vs Ferguson back in 1896. The Brown ruling only implied in schools which implied that segregation in other public facilities were unconstitutional as well and many other African Americans agreed which stered up controversy. -
Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
An African American activist for civil rights by the name of Rosa Parks refused to give her seat up to a white man. She was then arrested which started the Montgomery Bus Boycott lead by Martin Luther King Jr. The protest began on December 5th and was very successful and extended for a very long time. The protesters faced threats, arrest, and termination from their jobs. The boycott went on for more than a year even through the challenges. The Supreme Court then got rid of segregation seating. -
The Little Rock Nine
In September of 1957 nine African American men attended a all white school named Little Rock Central High School. These men encountered a huge mob of white people and the Arkansas National Guard that were blocking the entrance to the school. They returned back on September 23 but were met with violence. They came back again on the 25th and were protected by U.S. soldiers. 8 of the 9 students finished their academic year but this showed the struggle between state and government power. -
The Greensboro Four and the Sit-In Movement
On this date, four freshmen went to Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina and started a sit in movement. They made purchases and the F.W. Woolworth department and sat in the "whites only" lunch counter. They did this until closing and then came back the next day with 20 African Americans as well. Some of them would get arrested but then more people came back and took their place. This movement grew into bigger cities like Atlanta and Nashville. -
Ruby Bridges and the New Orleans Interegation
On this date, 6 year old African American by the name of Ruby Bridges was escorted by 4 armed marshals into William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. They were met by angry mobs that were shouting at them and throughout the day, mothers would take their child out of school in a form of protest. She was escorted every day while hearing insults and threats from everyone but would still go which inspired many. She heard lessons from her teacher in an empty classroom because everyone left. -
Freedom Rides
A group of 7 African Americans and 6 whites boarded 2 buses that were bound for New Orleans. Testing the Supreme Courts ruling, the Freedom Riders used facilities of the opposite race as their buses made stops along the way. They were met with violence and many busses were firebombed and they were beaten. They were then replaced by 10 other freedom riders and they were either arrested or beaten but others would take their place as well until they forced segregation more strictly. -
Birmingham Demonstrations
Matin Luter King Jr. and the SCLC held a caption in Birmingham, Alabama. This was to protest against segregation and here there were protest, sit-ins, boycotts, and marches to City Hall. King Jr. was arrested but demonstrations continued. Eventually students skipped school to go march as a sign of protest. People were arrested for this and eventually the police and fire department used violent tactics to try to stop the protest that involved attack dogs and high pressure water hoses. -
March on Washington
The demonstrations of 1963 ended with the March on Washington. Here they protested jobs and freedom and for civil rights abuses and employment discrimination. 250,00 people stranded on National Mall in Washington D.C. to here Martin Luther King Jr. famous "I have a Dream" speech. This turned out to be the most uplifting and famous speech by anyone to this day. -
Detroit Riot
A series of violent conformations between residents of African Americans and the Detroit police. The police raided an illegal drinking club and arrested everyone inside including 82 African Americans. People protested and ended up vandalizing property, looting business, and start fires for the next 5 days. It became so violent that ended up in 43 deaths, hundreds of injuries, more than 7,000 arrests, and 1,000 burned buildings. The President feared that our nation was separated into 2 races. -
Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination
On this date a sniper killed Martin Luther King Jr. while he was standing on the second floor balcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee after leading a nonviolent demonstration. His death set of hundreds of riots in hundreds of cities across the country. People still carried out the civil rights movement but turned to violent tactics which caused many political changes. -
Equal Opportunity Act
The Equal Opportunity Act of 1972 was an act that gave the Equal Employment Opportunity Comission the authority to sue the federal courts. They sued them because they believed they based their employment on their race, color, gender, religion, or national origin. In this case of public employment, then EEOC refers the matter to be brought to lawsuit. The Act prohibits employment discrimination in its programs based on race, gender, age, religion, or where they are from. -
Vocation Rebellion Act
The Vocation Rebellion Act or the Rebellion Act was the first disability civil rights law to be enhanced in the United States. This prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in programs that receive federal assistance which set a stage for enactment of the Americans with the Disabilities Act. Section 504 works with the ADA and the IDEA to protect children and adults that have disabilities from unequal jobs, treatment in schools and in the community. -
Keyes vs Denver School
Petitioners proved that for 10 years since the year 1960, the Denver school system implemented an unconstitutional policy of racial discrimination. They did this by operating a segregated school system. The defense argued that even though 1 part of the Denver system was quietly of segregation, it did not make or follow that the entire Denver system was segregated as well. This case represents one of the first instances in which the Court identified segregation in northern schools. -
Milliken vs Bradley
This case was a suit charging that the Detroit public school system was racially segregated. As a result of official policies, it was filed against Governor Milliken. The case and concluding was that the system was segregated and a district court ordered the adoption of a desegregation plan that encompassed the 85 school districts. This case was decided together with Allen Park Public schools and Grosse Point Public School System. -
San Antonio vs Rodriguez
In 1973, Mexican-American parents bought a class auction suit on behalf of the schoolchildren throughout the state who were poor and resided in school districts financed by a low property tax base. The court eventually refused to examine the system with strict security since there is no fundamental right education in the Constitution. Oyez quotes the court that says, "the Equal Protection Clause does not require absolute equality or precisely equal advantages." -
Education for Handicapped Children Act
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act was an act that was enacted by the United States Congress in 1975. This act required that all public schools had to provide equal access to education and a free meal a day for children with physical and mental disabilities. This act ensured that special education services are available to children who need them.It also guaranteed that decisions about services to students with disabilities are fair and appropriate.This act improved special education. -
Age Discrimination Act
The Age of Discrimination Act of 1975 prohibits discrimination on the basis of age programs and the activities receiving federal financial assistance. The Act permits the use of certain age distinctions and the factors other than age that meet the Act's requirements. This act is enforced by the Civil Rights Center. This Act was first implied in 1967 which was only in employment which protected certain applicants and employees 40 years or older from discrimination based on age. -
Ernest Green
Ernest Green was one of the nine of the Little Rock Nine. After he graduated from Little Rock he then became involved in politics. He was involved in employment law with building-trade apprenticeship that helped minority women in the South find opportunities for professional careers. Between 1977 and 1981, he served as assistant secretary in the Labor Department under President Jimmy Carter. This chart shows the race of people who go to school because of what he did with the Little Rock Nine. -
Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges was the little six year old African American girl who went to an all white school in 1960. After that she then made many more accomplishments. One was making the Ruby Bridges Foundation. She based this foundation on a quote she said which is, "Racism is a grown-up disease and we must stop using our children to spread it." She created this foundation to support interrogation, not segregation. This graph shows the black students in white schools since 1954. -
Joseph McNeil
Jospeh McNeil was one of the original four who took part in the Woolworth sit-in in 1960 in Greensboro. After this event he was commissioned by the U.S. Air Fore. He served as a navigator off of the Vietnamese Coast during six years of active duty in the Air Force. He then retired in 2000 from the Air Force Reserve with the rank of a major general. He along with the other members of the Greensboro Four, received hoary doctorates in 1994. This map shows where the 4 sat in during the movement.
