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13th Amendment
Abolishes slavery in the United States. -
14th Amendment
Citizenship was extended to African Americans. -
15th Amendment
Gave suffrage rights to African American males. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Homer Plessy refused to sit in the colored car of a train. He was arrested and the U.S. Supreme Court has a 7-1 ruling setting the standard for "Separate but Equal" making segregation legal. -
NAACP
Nation Association for the Advancement of Colored People, est. 1909. Goal: fight segregation and establish equal rights and opportunities for blacks, founded by a diverse group of people. -
Desegregation of Armed Forces
Harry Truman desegregated the U.S. armed forces due to his support of the Civil Rights movement causing some desegregation since Plessy v. Ferguson. -
Jackie Robinson
First to break color barrier in baseball. -
Malcolm X
In prison, Malcolm X joins the Nation of Islam. He tries to re-educate himself. He becomes one of the most influential members of the Nation of Islam. He wants immediate change in civil rights and believes in black power. Malcolm X was assassinated in New York on February 21, 1965. -
Brown v. Board of Ed.
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned standard of "separate but equal" with 9-0 ruling when Linda Brown had to walk much farther away to a black school when a white school was nearby. -
Martin Luther King Jr
He was an American Baptist and civil rights activist. He led the march on Washington D.C. and gave the famous "I have a Dream" speech. Martin Luther King Jr was assasinated in 1968. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
One hundred days after the murder of Emmet Till Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white rider and was arrested by the Montgomery police. Blacks responded with a 381 day boycott of the Montgomery busses and transit. -
Murder Of Emmet Till
Chicago teenage boy Emmet Till was lynched for whistling at a white woman when down South visiting his cousins. His mother insisted on an open casket to show the world what happened to her son. This helped spark the civil rights movement. -
Little Rock Nine
Nine black students chose to break the color barrier at Little Rock Central High school in Arkansas. The governor deployed the national guard to stop them. President Eisenhower deployed the 101st Airborne Division of US Army to assist the students so that they could enter the school. This was a major win for the civil rights movement and for the federal government. -
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Birmingham, SCLC, and Civil Rights Act of 1964
Known as most racially segregated big city in the South. 18 bombings in 6 years. SCLC hold marches then are arrested. Police Chief uses dogs and water hoses on protesters. JFK says "segregation is now everyone's problem." JFK propses the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. -
SNCC and The Sit-ins
The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee stages sit-ins in Greensboro, NC, and Nashville, TN. They sat at lunch counters all day and were met with violence/arrest. -
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Congress Of Racial Equality and The Freedom Rides
The C.O.R.E. was established by black civil rights activist and was a prominet influence on the civil rights influence. Establishing the freedom rides. Blacks and whites known as "Freedom Riders" traveled on buses throughout the South to protest segregation. This led to the Interstate Commerce Committee desegregating bus facilities. -
Freedom Summer
Known as the Mississippi Summer Project. This was established in 1964 for voter registration. It was sponsored by civil rights organizations. The goal was to register as many African American voters as possible. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a law to overcome the legal barriers at the local and state levels that prevented them from exercising there right to vote that the 15th amendment. This was because in the South Jim Crow Laws were passed to repress African Americans. -
Race Riots in Watts and other cities
In the neighborhood of Watts Los Angeles, a white officer arrests a black man suspected of a driving under the influence. A crowd gathers by and pelts the officer with rocks. Police are called in. After five days of violence left 34 dead, 1,032 injured, nearly 4,000 arrested. -
Loving v Virginia
Mildred Jeter, a black woman, and Richard Loving, a white man, were married in the District of Columbia after moving to Virginia they were charged with having an illegal interracial marriage. They were charged with 25 years in prison. The supreme court made a unanimous decision that this was unconstitutional. Which this leads to invalidating laws prohibiting interracial marriage -
Violence Over Boston Busing
In Boston, Massachusetts, opposition to court-ordered school “busing” turns violent on the opening day of classes. School buses carrying African American children were pelted with eggs, bricks, and bottles, and police in combat gear fought to control angry white protesters besieging the schools. -
Rodeny King Trial
In the Los Angeles suburb of Simi Valley, four police officers were acquited for using excessive force in arresting an African American motorist.
