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Plessy v Ferguson
Plessy v Ferguson was a supreme court case which supported segregation as long as both sides were treated equally. It declared the separation of whites and blacks as constitutional. This case allowed for segregation to spread without consequences. -
Brown vs Board of Education
Brown v Board of Education was a Supreme Court case that declared segregation in schools unconstitutional. It declared that black and white schools did not receive the same treatment or funding which violated the 14th amendment. This court case began protests at white schools and reinforced the 14th amendment. -
Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was an African American boy who was lynched at the age of 14. He was accused of offending a white woman in her store with almost no evidence. His killers received no punishment and started a chain of unfair persecutions of African Americans. He was an icon for the civil rights movement before Martin Luther King. -
Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man. After that, the African community boycotted the public transport system in Montgomery, Alabama. After a year, segregation on public buses was made illegal which proved peaceful protests were effective. -
Little Rock Nine & Central High School
Nine African American students enrolled in Little Rock Central High School after segregation in schools was outlawed. The student faced heavy opposition from the white students, their families and the governor himself. This led to the Cooper v Aaron case in which it was ruled that states were forced to obey the Supreme Court's decision. -
Founding of Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) & Martin Luther King
The SCLC and Martin Luther King are the most recognized leaders of the civil rights movement. it was created after the success of the Montgomery bus boycotts. They organized peaceful forms of protest and pushed for equal rights. -
Greensboro sit-ins
Non-violent protesters in Greensboro staged sit ins in order to protest segregation. It lasted until June 25 and took place across the city. After Woolworth ended segregation of its lunch counters, many other sit ins began across the country. -
Freedom Ride/Freedom Riders
African Americans boarded a public bus, sat wherever they wanted and stayed on for almost an entire day. They wanted to test out the new law which the declared segregation on public transport illegal. Whites did not agree with the law and attacked the riders, proving that racism would continue even with laws. -
March on Washington
A quarter of a million people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial to bring attention to the discrimination faced by African Americans. It was endorsed by president Kennedy and it was where Martin Luther King gave his "I have a dream speech". It motivated millions of African Americans and helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) & Freedom Summer
The SNCC was founded to protest discrimination against black students and organized school sit ins. The Freedom Summer movement was an organized event to registers as many black voters as possible. This caused a rise in black representation in the US government. -
Civil Rights Act 1964
The civil rights act completely outlawed any form of discrimination against all types of people. It also ended racist opposition to equal voting rights. It was one of the most important political success in the civil rights movement which began the end of discrimination. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
Malcolm X was killed in a ballroom by members of the Nation of Islam. Before assassinating him they shouted racial slurs at him. With his death, Martin Luther King became the face of the civil rights movement. -
Voting Rights Act (1965)
A federal law that declared it illegal to stop anyone from voting based on their race. It also stopped any local government from placing laws to stop people from voting. This act supported the 14th amendment which many states were not taking seriously. -
Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King was assassinated by a sniper on his hotel room balcony. The shooting was done by a white supremacist who was strongly against King's success. After his death, violent riots were started in numerous cities and many of his followers became hostile joining the Black Panthers. -
