Civil Rights Movement

Brown v. Board of Education

May 17, 1954

The court case, Brown v. Board of Education, was a major benchmark in the Civil Rights movement as it was a big push to end the segregation occurring at public schools. This case was the result of denial admissions by the Topeka public school system on a African American girl named Linda Brown. The effect of this case on the Civil Rights movement was that segregation was ruled unconstitutional. No figures were directly linked, however it is responsible for the "Separate but equal" saying.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Dec 5, 1955

The Boycott lasted 15 days from its start. It happened because of the segregation laws that took place. The African Americans could only sit on a certain part of the bus which led to Rosa Parks being arrested and sent to jail because she sat in the white part of the bus. Martin Luther King Jr. becoming the first president of the Montgomery Improvement association. The result was a federal court ruling stating that segregation on transportation is illegal, stated by the 14th amendment.

Little Rock 9 and the Desegregation of Schools

Sep 4, 1957

After the desegregation, 9 African American students were set to attend a public high school with 2000 white students. This made the public angry and mobs were set to not allow them to get into the school. The national guard was also set to prevent violence, but it happened anyways. Eisenhower then sent troops of his own to escort the students to school in safety. This was the aftermath of Brown v. Board of Ed. and the slow movement of integration in schools.

The Sit-In Movement

Feb 1, 1960

Joseph McNeil, Ezell Blair,Jr., David Richmond, and Franklin McCain all came together to make a change for the Civil rights movement. They started the sit-in moment where they all sat at white restaurant and caused chaos inside and forced the waiters to give them service. This added to the Civil Rights movement by bringing everyone together even without advertising it. As a result of this, the SNCC was put together to combat greater challenges and a huge leap forward was in the making.

Freedom Riders

May 4, 1961

The leader of the riders, James Farmer, asked teams of African American and white volunteers to travel around in order to get attention and pass the message. They broke many rules while many whites slashed their tires and threw trash at them. This got great attention, even from the president. To make a change on what was happening, Robert F. Kennedy made interstate bus travel non segregated and enforced it right away. The riders were eventually beat one day, but their legacy still lives on.

James Meredith and the Desegregation of Southern Universities

Sep 30, 1962

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/ole-miss-integration#section_4
James Meredith ,an African American student, was denied admission into the University of Mississippi because of his race. The major event that took place was action by the mayor George Wallace. He heavily showed resistance and only gave up when orders were given from very high up the chain to let go. The story came to a sad ending when he was shot by a sniper during a civil rights march through the South.

The March on Washington

Aug 28, 1963

The March on Washington is the most famous moment in the Civil Rights movement. Over 250,000 people gathered to listen to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I have a Dream" speech. This march got the attention of everyone from the media to neighboring countries. This increased the rate of change since they had the spotlight and any wrong doing would be used against them in a international opinion.

Malcolm X and the Civil Rights Movement

Feb 21, 1965

Malcom X was another famous Civil Rights movement leader. He took it upon himself to make a change. His ideals of doing whatever it takes made him unstoppable, traveling to many countries to speak about this ideas. Even after spending six-and-a-half years in jail, he was not stopped all the way till 1965, when he was shot while giving a speech in the Audubon Ballroom. His message spread far. His death sparked the start of the Black Panther Party.

Voter Registration Among Minorities

Aug 6, 1965

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/voting-rights-act Many efforts were put into place so that minorities couldn't vote such as literacy tests. Minorities without a chance to proper education wouldn't be able to pass and vote. This caused a big controversy and in 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which permitted all the barriers that stopped voting as unconstitutional. Attendance of African American voters grew from 6 to 59 percent.

Urban Problems and the Black Panthers

Oct 15, 1966

https://www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement/black-panthers The Urban Problem occurred before it even started. 70 percent of African Americans moved to major cities which created an abundance of labor. They eventually got trapped into lower income jobs which resulted in lower income housing. The Black Panthers were an activist group that fought to defend African Americans physically from abuse by the whites. They came together after the death of Malcom X. The party dissolved in 1982