-
Thirteenth Amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment is passed abolishing slavery in the United States. -
The Fourteenth Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment is passed guaranteeing all African-Americans the rights of full U.S. citizens. -
Fifteenth Amendment
The Fifteenth Amendment is passed guaranteeing the right to vote for all citizens regardless of race. -
JIm Crow Laws
Jim Crow laws become common in many southern states segregating blacks from whites. -
NAACP
The NAACP is founded by African-American leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois and Ida B. Wells. -
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American to play major league baseball. -
Ends segregation in the armed forces
President Harry S. Truman ends segregation in the U.S. armed forces. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court rules that segregation in the schools is unconstitutional in the Brown v. Board of
Education case, overturning the earlier ruling in the Plessy v. Ferguson case. -
Plessy v Ferguson
The Supreme Court rules that segregation is legal in the Plessy v. Ferguson case using the "separate but
equal" argument. -
Rosa Parks
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. -
The Arkansas 9
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. -
Freedom Riders
The Freedom Riders protest by riding buses into the segregated southern states challenging their Jim Crow
laws. -
Birmingham Campaign
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." -
March on Washington
The March on Washington by over 200,000 protesters occurs. Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his "I Have a
Dream" speech. -
Civil Rights Act
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.
Martin Luther King, Jr. is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. -
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act is signed into law making it illegal to prevent any citizen from voting regardless of
race. -
Race Riots
Race riots erupt in Watts, California. -
Affirmative Action
President Lyndon Johnson issues an order requiring "Affirmative Action" in hiring minorities for federal
government work. -
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall becomes the first African-American Supreme Court Justice. -
MLK assassination
Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. -
Bloody Sunday
Marchers in Selma, Alabama are met by police with tear gas. Several marchers are injured and the day is
nicknamed "Bloody Sunday." -
Colin Powell
Colin Powell is appointed as the first African-American Secretary of State. -
Barack Obama
Barack Obama is the first African-American elected President of the United States.