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Separate but Equal
The U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the racist policy of segregation by legalizing “separate but equal” facilities for blacks and whites. -
Founding of the NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded by a multi-racial group of activists in New York, N.Y. Initially, the group called themselves the National Negro Committee and fought for African Americans rights and justice. -
End of Separate but Equal
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimous decision that overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine in public schools. -
Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was murdered in Money, Mississippi. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery City Bus and was arrested. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott begins December 5, 1955 and lasts a total of 381 days. -
SCLC Established
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was established. Martin Luther King Jr. was the organization's first president. The SCLC proved to be a major force in organizing the civil rights movement with a principle base of nonviolence and civil disobedience -
Little Rock 9
The Little Rock 9 enter Central High School as federal troops oversee the situation sent by President Eisenhower. -
Sit-ins
4 black college students sat at an all-white lunch counter and started a sit-in protest at a Woolworth’s store. -
Executive Order 10925
President Kennedy issued Executive Order 10925, prohibiting discrimination in federal government hiring on the basis of race, religion or national origin and establishing The President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity , the EEOC. -
Freedom Riders
Freedom riders begin a bus ride through the South to protest segregation. -
James Meredith Enrolls at University of Mississippi
James Meredith enrolls at University of Mississippi after President John F. Kennedy sends in troops making him the first African-American to attend University of Mississippi. -
M.L.K Arrested in Birmingham
Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham protesting in the “most segregated city in America.” -
Black College Students Facing Obstacles
Governor George C. Wallace stands in a doorway at the University of Alabama to block two black students from registering. The standoff continues until President John F. Kennedy sends the National Guard to the campus. -
Assassinaton of Medgar Evers
Mississippi's NAACP field secretary, 37-year-old Medgar Evers, was murdered outside his home in Jackson, Miss. Byron De La Beckwith was tried twice in 1964, both trials resulting in hung juries. Thirty years later, he was convicted of murdering Evers. -
March on Washington
More than 250,000 people, march on Washington to demand immediate passage of the civil rights bill. -
Bombing of a Black Baptist Church
A bomb at 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama kills four young girls and injures several other people prior to Sunday services. The bombing fuels angry protests. -
Civil Rights Act
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the premier legislation for Civil Rights into law. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
Black religious leader Malcolm X is assassinated during a rally by members of the Nation of Islam. -
March for Voting Rights
A march from Selma to Montgomery to fight for voting rights begins. -
Bloody Sunday
This march went down in history as Bloody Sunday for the violent beatings state troopers inflicted on protesters as they attempted to march peacefully from Selma, Ala., to the state capital, Montgomery. The march was aimed at fighting the lack of voting rights for African Americans. -
Voting Rights Act
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law outlawing literacy tests. -
Chicago Freedom Movement
Formed to protest segregated housing, educational deficiencies, and employment and health disparities based on racism. The movement included multiple rallies, marches and boycotts to address the variety of issues facing black Chicago residents. -
Black Panther Party Founded
Huey Newton & Bobby Seale founded the “Black Power” political group known as the Black Panthers. -
Assassination of M.L.K
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis.
