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Brown vs Board of Education
Oliver Brown was a parent of one of the black children denied access to a white school in Topeka, Kansas. He filed a lawsuit against the Kansas Board of Education, which brought it up to the Supreme Court as a constitutional issue. Brown argued that due to the inherent racism imbedded in the school system, his child would not be able to have the same education as another white child. This court case ruled that racial segregation in public schools violated the 14th Amendment. -
Emmett Till Murdered
14 year old Emmett Till had traveled down to Florida to visit his family. He and several other friends went to a convenience store where they supposedly made sexual advances towards a white woman in the store. A few days later, Emmett was kidnapped from his uncles home where he was brutally beaten and mercilessly shot in the head, left for dead drifting in the Tallahatchie River. This really got the movement going, showing the horrors of racism. -
Rosa Parks Refuses Her Removal
Rosa Parks was travelling home from work when the front white seats became filled, and she and three others were told to move for another white man. The other three complied but she didn't She was arrested $10 and $4 in court fees for her trial. This set off a chain of events known as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which started up four days after this event, the same day she went to court. This actually wasn't the first event of it's kind, but it's the most recognizable. -
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Montgomery Bus Boycott
Protestors began protesting public transportation, more specifically the buses, by refusing to use them and finding other means of transportation. Also considering that blacks were the vast majority of customers, this really damaged the public transportation. Whenever blacks would want a ride, they would have to go to the front of the bus and pay, and then walk all the way to the back of the bus to sit. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
President Dwight Eisenhower created the Civil Rights Act, put into the law which included the creation of the Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice, and gave federal officials the ability to prosecute anyone who conspired to deny any citizen's right to vote. The most important part was the fact that this proved the government was listening. All the protesting and coverage of the movement was in fact making prominent change. -
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Restaurant Sit Ins
Peaceful protestors enter public restaurants and sit at white-only tables, waiting to be served. Of course they never do get served as their not white. However their goal is to prove that the restaurant has all this potential business and all these potential customers that they are refusing to serve simply because of their skin color. This challenges the owners' racist policies, and whether they should stay in their old ways, or bring in more money. This was highly effective. -
March on Washington
Asa Philip Randolph, a prominent Civil Rights activist, got the idea of marching a massive crowd for a massive gathering in Washington D.C. to bring more attention to the economic issues of the African American community. A quarter of a million Americans all from across the United States arrived at Washington D.C. to deliver speeches and performances. This was where Martin Luther King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. -
"I Have a Dream" Speech
Martin Luther King's legendary "I Have a Dream" speech has become the most iconic symbol of the Civil Rights Movement. This speech was delivered at Washington D.C. during the March on Washington. This speech perfectly encapsulated what their whole cause was about. King essentially said that he had a dream that one day, all this racism, segregation, and discrimination will end. "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." -
Freedom Summer
During the summer of 1964, hundreds of Northerner college students travelled south to Mississippi to help register African American voters, and to encourage others to help in the Civil Rights movement. The majority of students there were white, and they helped set up health clinics and "freedom schools" for black children. Another political party specific to that state was created, designed to remove all whites from the DNC in Atlantic City. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law only a couple hours after the House approval. This act differed from the one in 1957 as that one was more of a voting law. It was a step in the right direction, but not enough. This act was more specifically tackling the issues that people were more focused on. It made segregation an illegal action in any and all businesses, and banned discriminatory practices within those businesses
