Civil Rights Movement 1940-1960; Organized black Americans to end racial discrimination and gain equality

By martecm
  • Brown v. Board of Education

    Supreme Court rules and ends racial segregration in public schools
  • Montgomery Bus Boycott

    Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on the bus and starts a year long boycott of Montgomery buses
  • Non-violent Protest Talkings

    Martin Luther King Jr. and 60 pastors meet in Atlanta to plan non-violent protests
  • "Little Rock 9"

    Nine black students are blocked from entering Central High School. Eisenhower sends federal troops to escort the students.
  • Civil Rights Act of 1957

    Eisenhower signs the Civil Rights Act of 1957 to protect voter rights.
  • Woolworth's Counter Sit-in

    Four college students in Greensboro, NC refuse to give up their seats at the 'whites only' counter in Woolworth's and it sparks sit-ins around the country.
  • University of Alabama Standoff

    Governor George C. Wallace blocks the doorway of the University of Alabama to keep two black students from registering. John F. Kennedy sends in the National Guard.
  • March on Washington

    250,000 people march on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr. gives his "I Have a Dream' speech
  • Baptist Church Bombing

    A bomb kills four young girls and hurts several others at the 16th Street Baptist Church and starts angry protests.
  • Civil Rights Act of 1964

    Lyndon B. Johnson signs Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prevents employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, or national origin.
  • Malcolm X Assassination

    Malcolm X is assassinated by members of the Nation of Islam.
  • March to Montgomery

    600 civil rights marchers walk from Selma to Montgomery protesting black voter suppression.
  • Voting Rights Act of 1965

    Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to prevent the use of literacy tests as a voting requirement.
  • MLK Jr. Assassinated

    Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated by James Earl Ray.