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On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that the Southern State laws that established racial segregation in public schools violated the 14th Amendment. This is important because it was a turning point in history in race equality. -
On August 28, 1955, Emmett Till body was found in Tallahatchie river. The 14 year old boy was visiting family in Mississippi when he was dared to talk to a white women. It was said Emmett flirted or whistled to the women which lead to his death. This is important because at the funeral it was open casket so the world saw what they did to Emmett Till. -
On Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her bus seat to a white men which then sparked the start the start of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The Bus Boycott was a mass protest against the bus system law and it lasted a year. This is important because Rosa Parks showed the struggle for racial equality when she didn't give up her seat and the Montgomery Bus Boycott accomplished making the Supreme Court ruling segregation on public buses unconstitutional. -
On Sep. 4, 1957, Nine black students walked to Little Rock high school. On the way there were white's that yelled, screamed and threw things at the black students. When the nine students arrived guards kept them out, they were forced home. On Sep. 25 was there first day at that high school and they were escorted to school by soldiers everyday. This is important because those kids went to school even when there were murder threats and they dared to challenge public school segregation. -
On Feb.1, 1960, four black College students went to a white sit-in and politely asked to be served but were ignored. They stayed until closing but came back the next day with more people that heard about there story, were still not served even though they didn't do anything wrong. The third day people got violent at the protesters and were arrested . This is important because the students showed they can make a difference by taking a non- violent act. -
On May 4, 1961, groups of whites and blacks who were civil rights activists that became known as the Freedom Riders and they rode through the south to protest segregated bus terminals.The Freedom Riders were non-violent even when there lives were in danger. This is important because these people risked their lives to make a difference and they even convinced the Federal Government to segregate bus terminals. -
On Apr. 16, 1963, Martin Luther King On Apr. 16, 1963, Martin Luther King wrote a letter in his cell in Birmingham Jail and addressed it to "Fellow Clergymen". This letter was a response to eight white Alabama Clergymen who criticized King for the protests in Alabama. This is important because it was a way for us to understand the past injustices. -
On Aug. 28, 1963, different civil rights groups marched to Washington D.C. and the march was so huge that the event very much made history. There King gave his famous I have a dream speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial. This is important because it showed how determined everyone was for equality and it ratified the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. -
On Sep. 15, 1963, a bomb exploded in the back stairwell of a baptist church. The blast ripped through the wall which killed four girls and injured more than 20 inside the church. This is important because it showed the threathes and punishments people would get just because of skin color. -
On Jan. 23, 1964, the 24th Amendment was ratified which outlawed poll tax as a voting requirement. The poll tax exemplified “Jim Crow” laws which were made at the south and not give blacks the right to vote. This is important because it got rid of a law that did not give blacks the right to vote and gave them a chance to vote like every U.S. citizen. -
On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that was a moment to be remembered. The Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. This is important because the Act ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. -
On Aug. 6, 1965, the Voting Act outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War. The law also prohibits racial discrimination in voting. This is important because it offered blacks a way to get around the barriers at the state and local levels that had prevented them from exercising their 15th Amendment right to vote. -
On Mar. 7, 1965, 600 civil rights marchers headed out of Selma on U.S. Route 80 and got as far as the Edmund Pettus Bridge six blocks away where there was an attack. There were state and local lawmen attacked them with billy clubs and tear gas and drove them back into Selma.This is important because they were organized to protest the blocking of Black Americans' right to vote by the systematic racist structure of the Jim Crow South. -
On Jun. 12, 1967, the Supreme Court ruled that state bans on interracial marriage were unconstitutional, a case about a white men and black women who were married and in love. The case was big that it could change the course of history. This is important because it is declaring Virginia's anti-miscegenation law unconstitutional.