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The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States and territories governed by the US.
It was the first step in the fight for equal rights for all people in the United States irrespective of race, ethnicity or color. Even though African American slaves got their freedom, discrimination against people of color did not end. -
The 14th Amendment provided citizenship to all people in the US irrespective of where they were born. It provided equal rights and access to due process to all US citizens irrespective of color or race.
The 14th Amendment was supposed to protect all US citizens irrespective of race but the government was unable to enforce it, which led to continued discrimination against African Americans especially in the South. -
The 15th Amendment gave all citizens of the United States the right to irrespective of race, color. It gave all African American men the right to vote even if they were descendants of slaves.
The 15th Amendment gave African Americans the right to vote but the US government failed to ensure that it was enforced. In many southern states African Americans were prevented from voting by requirements of literacy tests, poll taxes and grandfather clauses. -
Plessy filed a case against New Orleans Judge Ferguson when he was convicted for sitting in whites only train car. The Supreme Court ruled that the segregation based on color was not unconstitutional as long as the separate facilities provided equal amenities.
The Supreme Court ruling supporting segregation allowed many Jim Crow laws to become stronger. African Americans felt that even though laws were passed to give them equal rights they were being discriminated against. -
The NAACP was formed to raise awareness and fight against the continued discrimination against African Americans even after laws were passed giving them equal rights.
The NAACP was the first group formed to fight for the rights of African Americans and fought to end discrimination and segregation based on color. -
Executive Order 9981 was a federal directive issued by President Truman to stop segregation in the US armed forces. It gave the African Americans equal rights in the armed forces.
This order was seen as a positive action by the federal government to end segregation and strengthened Civil Rights activists to protest against discrimination and segregation. -
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously for Brown and stated that segregation based on race and color in public schools was unconstitutional.
This Supreme Court ruling was the opposite of the Plessy v Ferguson and was the first time segregation was ruled as unconstitutional. It strengthened people to fight for equal rights and empowered the Civil Rights Movement. -
African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama protested segregation in public transportation by boycotting public buses in Montgomery.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott strengthened the African Americans to fight for their rights. It saw the emergence of Martin Luther King as a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. -
The SCLC used non-violent protests to fight against racial discrimination and segregation.
The SCLC was able to organize protests on a large scale and unified the African American protests against discrimination. -
Nine African American students joined an all white high school to stop segregation in schools.
This incident led to the end of racial segregation in schools. It gave hope to people fighting to end racial discrimination. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 gave the court the power to ensure African Americans voted. It also established the Civil Rights Commission to prevent racial discrimination.
This was the first federal legislation that was passed to ensure that the 14th and 15th amendments were enforced. -
African Americans in Greensboro protested against segregated lunch halls in Universities by sitting at a whites only lunch hall.
The Greensboro Sit-in saw more young African Americans joining the Civil Rights Movement. -
The SNCC was formed by young African Americans to protest the racial discrimination.
The SNCC tried to educate more African Americans about their rights and helped with many non-violent protests across the US. -
Many Civil Rights activists took bus rides to prove that segregation in buses and bus terminals were unconstitutional.
The Freedom Riders were attacked and this brought more attention to the Civil Rights Movement. -
White clergymen criticized the protest by Civil Rights activists and said that the Civil Rights fight should be handles by courts but MLK wrote his letter arguing that it was necessary for people to protest against discrimination and take an active role in the fight for equal rights and should not wait for the court to take action.
His letter encouraged more people to protest and fight for equal rights and an end to racial discrimination. -
Civil rights leaders and supporters marched to Washington D.C. to demand equal economic, political and social rights.
The March on Washington helped bring more attention to the Civil Rights Movement. MLK’s “I have a Dream” influenced people around the world and motivated people to fight oppression. -
It was the first legislation passed by the US to end racial discrimination and segregation.
It helped the US government to stop racial discrimination and enforce the 14th and 15th Amendments. -
Civil Rights Activists marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to register African Americans voters.
It raised awareness about African American voter suppression and led to the passing of the Voting Rights Act. -
It put an end to voter discrimination based on color. It stopped the use of literacy tests and poll taxes to prevent African Americans from voting.
The Voting Rights Act put an end to discrimination against African American voters and gave African Americans full representation in the US government. -
Chavez was a Mexican American who fought for Civil Rights and helped improve working conditions and wages for farm workers.
He raised awareness about the difficulties faced by agricultural and farm workers. He helped farm workers form unions to have more negotiating power with farm owners. -
Marshall was a civil rights activist and the first African American Supreme Court justice.
He won many Supreme Court cases that ensured racial equality for African Americans.