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Plessy v. Ferguson
the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racially separate facilities, if equal, did not violate the Constitution. ¨Seprate but equal -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court rules on the case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kans., unanimously agreeing that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. -
Emmett Till is murdered
Emmett Till was visiting family in Mississippi when he was kidnapped, brutally beaten, shot, and dumped in the Tallahatchie River becaue he whistled at a white woman. Two white men, J. W. Milam and Roy Bryant, were arrested for the murder and acquitted by an all-white jury. They later brag about committing the murder in an interview. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat at the front of the "colored section" of a bus to a white passenger, She then gets arrested. In response to her arrest the Montgomery black community starts a bus boycott, This continues on for a year until buses are desegregated. 2/3 of riders are african americans -- boycott--didn't ride the bus anymore walked--used black taxis -
Little Rock School desegregation
Nine African American students are blocked from entering the school on the orders of Governor Orval Faubus. President Eisenhower sends federal troops and the National Guard to intervene on behalf of the students, who become known as the "Little Rock Nine."--they desegregated schools --the 9 students that went to the high school were harassed by many whites--whites didn't like the idea they would get threatened and hurt.-- guards had to be with them all the time.First African American to graduate -
Sit-ins in Greensboro/Nashville
African Americans-- mostly younger ones-- would sit in diners/downtown areas where only Whites were suppose to sit. They didn't want to move so they got arrested -- some refused to pay the $50 fine and decided to get the days in jail. Student sit-ins would be effective throughout the Deep South in integrating parks, swimming pools, theaters, libraries, and other public facilities. -
March on Birmingham
During civil rights protests in Birmingham, Alabama Eugene Connor used fire hoses and police dogs on black demonstrators. These images of brutality, which were televised and published widely, are instrumental in gaining sympathy for the civil rights movement around the world. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place in Washington, D.C. Attended by 250,000 people, it was the largest demonstration ever seen in the nation's capital .Participants listened to Martin Luther King deliver his famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination of all kinds based on race, color, religion, or national origin. The law also provides the federal government with the powers to enforce desegregation. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Congress passes the Voting Rights Act of 1965, making it easier for Southern blacks to register to vote. Literacy tests, poll taxes, and other such requirements that were used to restrict black voting are made illegal. -
Martin Luther King Assassinated
Martin Luther King, at age 39, is shot as he stands on the balcony outside his hotel room. Escaped convict and committed racist James Earl Ray is convicted of the crime.
