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Double V Campaign
The Double V campaign was a slogan and drive to promote the fight for democracy in overseas campaigns and at the home front in the United States for African Americans during World War II. The Double V refers to the "V for victory" sign prominently displayed by countries fighting "for victory over aggression, slavery, and tyranny," but adopts a second "V" to represent the double victory for African Americans fighting for freedom overseas and at home -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court that ruled that U.S. state laws establishing segregation in schools are unconstitutional. The Court's decision partially overruled its decision Plessy v. Ferguson, declaring that the "separate but equal" notion was unconstitutional for American public schools and educational facilities. It paved the way for integration and was a major victory of the civil rights movement, and a model for many future impact litigation cases. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery bus boycott was a protest campaign against segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery. It was a foundational event in the civil rights movement in the United States. The campaign lasted from December 5, 1955 to December 20, 1956, when the federal ruling Browder v. Gayle took effect, and led to a United States Supreme Court decision that declared the Alabama and Montgomery laws that segregated buses were unconstitutional. -
Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine African American students enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957.
By 1957, the NAACP had registered nine black students to attend the previously all-white Little Rock Central High, selected on the criteria of excellent grades and attendance.
When integration began on September 4, 1957, the Arkansas National Guard was called in to "preserve the peace", before being federalized and ordered to protect them. -
Birmingham Campaign
The Birmingham campaign was an American movement organized in early 1963 by the SCLC to bring attention to the integration efforts of African Americans in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Birmingham campaign was a model of nonviolent direct action protest. It burnished King's reputation, forced desegregation in Birmingham, and directly paved the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibited racial discrimination in hiring practices and public services throughout the United States. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington was held in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, August 28, 1963. The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans. At the march, final speaker Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, delivered his historic "I Have a Dream" speech.
250,000 people attended, 75-80% of whom were black.
The march is credited with helping to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requirements, racial segregation in schools and public accommodations, and employment discrimination. The act remains one of the most significant legislative achievements in American history. -
Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer was a volunteer campaign in the United States launched in June 1964 to attempt to register as many black voters as possible in Mississippi. Blacks had been restricted from voting since the turn of the century due to barriers to voter registration and other laws. The project also set up dozens of Freedom Schools, Freedom Houses, and community centers in small towns throughout Mississippi to aid the local Black population.
The project was organized by the COFO. -
Watts Riot
The Watts riots took place in the Watts neighborhood and its surrounding areas of Los Angeles from August 11 to 16, 1965.
Six days of civil unrest occured, motivated in part by allegations of police abuse.Nearly 14,000 members of the California Army National Guard helped suppress the disturbance, which resulted in 34 deaths, as well as over $40 million in property damage. -
Selma March and Voting Rights Act
The Selma to Montgomery marches were marches along the highway from Selma to Montgomery. The marches were organized by nonviolent activists to demonstrate the desire of African-American citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote, in defiance of segregationist repression. By highlighting racial injustice, they contributed to passage that year of the Voting Rights Act, a landmark federal achievement of the civil rights movement, which prohibited discrimination in voting. -
Black Power Movement and Black Panther Party
The Black Power movement was a social movement motivated by a desire for safety and self-sufficiency that was not available inside redlined African American neighborhoods. By the late 1960s, Black Power came to represent the demand for more immediate violent action to counter American white supremacy. The Black Panther Party was a Black Power political organization founded in Oakland, California. The Black Panther Party's core practice was its armed citizens' patrols to watch police. -
Assassination of MLK & Subsequent Riots
MLK was fatally shot in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968.
James Earl Ray, a fugitive from the Missouri State Penitentiary, was arrested at Heathrow Airport, extradited to the United States, and charged with the crime.
The King assassination riots were a wave of civil disturbance which swept the United States following the assassination of MLK.There were few confirmed acts of violence between black and white people. White public and community buildings such as schools and churches were largely spared