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CORE
CORE- Founded in 1942, CORE was one of the “Big Four” civil rights organizations that played a pivotal role for African Americans in the civil rights movement. This group helped organize sit-ins in order to desegregate public facilities. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education- May 17th, 1954. Landmark Supreme Court decision that ruled segregation in public schools unconstitutional and violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. This overturned Plessy who stated the "separate but equal" segregation of the races. It helped prevent children to live with the pressures that society has in regards to race. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Montgomery Bus Boycott- This began when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus, leading to a yearlong fight that changed Alabama’s segregation laws in regards to busing. On December 1, 1955 Parks was arrested, tried, and convicted for “disorderly conduct and violating a local ordinance”. After this happened, 50 African-American leaders gathered and organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott to demand a bus system in which passengers would be treated equally. -
SCLC
SCLC- Established by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1957, this organization tried to eliminate segregation from American society and pushed African Americans to register to vote. -
SNCC
SNCC- Organization of African American college students throughout the South which played a key role in desegregating public facilities in the early 1960’s. Also, it encouraged voter registration. Founded in April 1960, SNCC grew into a large organization with many supporters in the North who helped raise funds to support SNCC's work in the South. -
James Meredith
James Meredith- On October 1st, 1962, James Meredith became the first black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. Violence and riots surrounding the incident caused President Kennedy to send 5,000 federal troops to escort and protect him. -
Kings Arrest
Kings Arrest- April 16th 1963, Martin Luther King is arrested and jailed during anti-segregation protests in Birmingham, Alabama. He wrote “Letter From Birmingham Jail" arguing that individuals have the moral duty to not follow unjust laws. When King called upon church leaders to join him for the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, hundreds of ministers, priests, and nuns came to Alabama to participate in the protest because their consciences were linked to King's letter. -
March on Washington
March on Washington- August 28th, 1963. About 200,000 peaceful protesters congregated at the Lincoln Memorial, participants listen as Martin Luther King delivers his famous “I Have A Dream” speech. Creating meaningful civil rights laws, a large federal works program, full and fair employment, good housing, the right to vote, and decent integrated education. -
CEEO
CEEO- Created by JFK, it attempted to stop the federal bureaucracy from discriminating against African Americans in hiring and promotions. This agency, created in 1964, ended discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in employment. It is now responsible for stopping discrimination based on age or disability. -
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Voting Rights Act of 1965
Voting Rights Act of 1965- A 1965 legislation that ended literacy tests and allowed for federal examiners to register qualified voters. African Americans regaining the power to vote changed the political landscape of the South. When Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, only about 100 African Americans held elective office, all in northern states. But by 1989, there were more than 7,200 African Americans in office.
