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Brown V. Board of Education
Oliver Brown filed a class-action suit against the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, in 1951, after his daughter was denied entrance to Topeka’s all-white elementary schools. This supreme court case was important because it ended all segregation in schools across America. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The boycott started with Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat on December 1 of 1955. In the first two months of the year, whites are angry about the Montgomery Bus Boycott. As a result, they bombed 4 African-American churches as well as the homes of civil rights leaders and E.D. Nixon and Martin Luther King, Jr. The boycott ends in December of 1956. This is important because it was one of the first major protests of the Civil Rights Movement. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in the front of the bus and was arrested. She is considered the mother of the modern day civil rights movement and was a key factor in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This was important because it paved the way for others to participate in protests. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement -
No Segregation on Interstate Trains and Buses
In November, segregation is prohibited by the Federal Interstate Commerce Commission on interstate trains and buses. This is important because it proved that the protests that the African-Americans were taking were working. https://kids.laws.com/civil-rights-timeline -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
This act was passed by Congress. It created the Civil Rights Commission and also allows the Justice Department to look into cases of African Americans voting rights being taken away. This is important because now blacks can have equal court rights. https://kids.laws.com/civil-rights-timeline -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Martin Luther King assists in founding the SCLC, or the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and is elected as the SCLC's first president. The purpose of the organization was to fight for civil rights. This was important because the SCLC helped African-Americans gain civil rights. https://kids.laws.com/civil-rights-timeline -
Sit-Ins
Four African-American college students sit down at a whites-only lunch counter to order coffee. Although they are denied service, the four men sit politely and silently at the counter until the store closes. This starts the series of Greensboro sit-ins and also triggers similar protests in the South. This is important because it helped end segregation in America. https://kids.laws.com/civil-rights-timeline -
Freedom Riders
On May 4, seven African American men and six white activists leave Washington, D.C. and travel through the rigidly segregated Deep South to test Boynton v. Virginia. On May 14, the freedom riders are attacked by a firebomb and members of the KKK. On May 17, another group joins the Freedom Riders to finish the trip but are arrested in Montgomery, Alabama. This was important because they helped create awareness for these issues https://kids.laws.com/civil-rights-timeline -
James Meredith
On September 10, the Supreme Court rules that the University of Mississippi has to admit James Meredith to school. On September 26, the mayor of Mississippi orders troops to stop James from entering the campus. On October 1, President Kennedy orders U.S. marshals to keep James safe, and he become the 1st African-American student at the University of Mississippi. This is important because it paved the way for other African-Americans to go to school. https://kids.laws.com/civil-rights-timeline -
March on Washington
The March was a huge protest that aimed to draw attention to continuing challenges and inequalities that still faced African Americans. It brought over 250,000 people in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. This was where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his iconic "I Have A Dream" speech. This was important because this event inspired others and helped raise awareness of what the African-Americans were going through. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement -
John F. Kennedy's Death
Kennedy is assassinated on November 22, but Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, uses the country’s anger to pass civil rights legislation, using the legacy of Kennedy's memory to do so. His death was important because it helped pass civil rights laws. https://kids.laws.com/civil-rights-timeline -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Congress passes the Civil Rights Act that bans discrimination in public places and in employment. This is important because now blacks can get jobs without having to worry about being mistreated or being turned down because they were black. https://kids.laws.com/civil-rights-timeline -
Voting Rights Act
President Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act that ends all discriminatory voting requirements. These included the poll taxes and literacy tests. This was important because it helped African-Americans gain the right to vote and choose their leaders without discrimination. https://kids.laws.com/civil-rights-timeline -
Civil Rights Act of 1968
President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968 that prohibits discrimination by renters or sellers of property. This is important because now African-Americans can buy, sell and own property with the same rights as a white man. https://kids.laws.com/civil-rights-timeline -
First Black Mayor
On May 29, Thomas Bradly the first black mayor of Los Angeles in the modern era. He is reelected 4 times and holds the mayors office for 20 years. This is important because it shows that blacks can also take part in the government. http://www.blackpast.org/timelines/african-american-history-timeline-1900-2000
