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Brown v. Board of Education
This Supreme Court decision established segregation in public schools as unconstitutional. It inspired more movements to take place because it proved that segregation could end. -
The Arrest of Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was arrested when she refused to move from the "whites only" section on a public bus. This sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott which resulted in a Supreme Court ruling that declared segregation unconstitutional on buses. -
The Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine was a group of nine African American students who began attending a white school in Little Rock, Arkansas. After the governor, Orval Faubus, used the national guard to prevent them from entering the school, President Eisenhower sent U.S. troops to escort the nine students inside every day for the rest of the school year. This event showed how difficult the fight to end segregation would be, but it also inspired more movements because it was clear things needed to change. -
The Woolworth Sit-in
Four African American students sat at the "whites only" counter after making a purchase at Woolworth's department store in North Carolina. They refused to move and stayed until the store closed. Soon, 300 students were doing the same thing. This sit-in inspired other sit-ins to take place. Within a year, sit-ins reached 100 cities. It also led to the creation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). -
Murder of Medgar Evers
Medgar Evers was a civil rights activist and the first field secretary for the NAACP. He was murdered by a white segregationist. His death inspired others to take action against segregation.