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Brown v. Board of Education was a 1954 Supreme Court case where the Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools Topeka, Kansas, was unconstitutional. The case was brought by Oliver Brown on behalf of his daughter Linda Brown, challenging the "separate but equal" doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson, and was argued by Thurgood Marshall, who later became the first African American Supreme Court Justice. -
Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy from Chicago, was lynched in 1955 in Money, Mississippi, after being accused of whistling at a white woman, Carolyn Bryant. Two white men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, abducted, beat, and murdered Till, dumping his body in the Tallahatchie River. The men were acquitted by an all-white jury, sparking national outrage and fueling the Civil Rights Movement. -
Rosa Parks, an African American woman, famously refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, on December 1, 1955. Her arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, led by Martin Luther King Jr., where African Americans protested racial segregation on public buses for over a year, eventually leading to a Supreme Court ruling that declared segregation on public buses unconstitutional. -
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was founded in 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia, by prominent civil rights leaders including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph Abernathy, and other clergy members. The organization aimed to advance the cause of civil rights through nonviolent protests and played a key role in the Civil Rights Movement, organizing events like the Birmingham Campaign and the March on Washington. -
The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine African American students who desegregated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in September 1957. Despite facing intense opposition and hostility from white segregationists, they were escorted by federal troops sent by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, marking a significant moment in the fight for civil rights and the implementation of Brown v. Board of Education. -
The Greensboro Sit-ins began on January 1, 1960, at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, when four African American college students-Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain, and Joseph McNeil-sat down and peacefully refused to leave after being denied service due to segregation. Their act of nonviolent protest sparked a wave of sit-ins across the South, leading to the desegregation of many public facilities and playing a key role in the Civil Rights Movement. -
On November 14, 1960, Ruby Bridges, a six-year-old African American girl, became the first black student to attend the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana. She faced intense hostility and protests, but was escorted to school by federal marshals for her safety, symbolizing the desegregation of public schools in the South. -
The Freedom Riders, starting in May 1961, were a group of interracial activists who traveled by bus through the South to challenge segregation on public transportation. Led by organizations like the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), they faced violent hostility from white segregationists, particularly in cities like Birmingham and Montgomery, but their courageous actions helped to draw national attention to the civil rights struggle and led to the eventual desegregation of interstate travel. -
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place on August 28, 1963, in Washington, D.C., and was attended by over 250,000 people. Key figures like Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and A. Philip Randolph led the peaceful demonstration, advocating for civil rights, economic equality, and an end to racial segregation, with King delivering his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law on July 2, 1964, by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Act, a major legislative achievement of the Civil Rights Movement, prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in public places, schools, and employment, and played a crucial role in ending legal segregation in the United States. -
Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965, while speaking at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. He was shot by members of the Nation of Islam, a group he had once been a part of but had later distanced himself from due to ideological differences. His death marked a tragic moment in the Civil Rights Movement and highlighted the divisions within the African American community. -
The Selma to Montgomery marches, including the violent event known as "Bloody Sunday," took place in 1965, with the first march occurring on March 7. Led by activists like John Lewis and Hosea Williams, peaceful protesters were attacked by law enforcement on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, as they tried to march for voting rights, which drew national outrage and led to the eventual passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law on August 6, 1965, by President Lyndon B.
Johnson. The law aimed to eliminate racial discrimination in voting, particularly in Southern states, by banning literacy tests and other discriminatory practices, and by providing federal oversight where needed. This landmark legislation was a significant victory for the Civil Rights Movement, ensuring greater political participation for African Americans. -
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. He was shot by James Earl Ray, a convicted criminal, and his death led to widespread national mourning and riots in several cities, further highlighting the deep racial tensions in the United States.