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Creation of the NAACP
An interracial organization dedicated to advancing justice for African Americans -
Scottsboro Boys
Nine African American teenagers were riding on a freight train when two white women accused them of rape -
Jackie Robinson Breaks the Color Barrier
Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, paving the way for other African American athletes and contributing to the Civil Rights Movement -
Brown vs. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education ended legal segregation in schools -
The Murder of Emmett Till
Two Mississippian killed Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black boy, for whistling at a white woman -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
A protest against racial segregation on Montgomery, Alabama's public transit system, was initiated after Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat on a city bus -
The Little Rock 9
Nine African American high school students who bravely integrated Little Rock Central High School faced intense resistance and harassment -
Ruby Bridges
The first African American child to attend the formerly whites-only William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana during the New Orleans school desegregation crisis -
Letter from a Birmingham Jail
A response to criticisms from white religious leaders who had criticized King's nonviolent civil disobedience tactics in the Birmingham Campaign -
Assassination of Malcolm X
Malcolm X was assassinated by three members of the Nation of Islam. The assassination was allegedly motivated by Malcolm X's break from the Nation of Islam and his criticism of its leader -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin -
Creation of the Black Panthers
A revolutionary organization with an ideology of Black nationalism, socialism, and armed self-defense, particularly against police brutality -
Thurgood Marshall Named Supreme Court Justice
Thurgood Marshall was confirmed as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, making him the first African American to serve on the Court. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King was shot dead while standing on a balcony outside his second-floor room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee -
Election of Barack Obama
Obama was the first African American president, the first multiracial president, and the first non-white president.