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Freedom Riders
As bus travel remained segregated, teams of white and African Americans volunteered to become known as the Freedom Riders. Many mobs of white decent slit bus tires and threw rocks at the windows. The riders came from a bus in Birmingham to face men armed with bats and chains, the men beat the riders. Once the violence hit the news stations, many Americans were shocked. This drew the federal government attention to the African Americans in the South. -
Arrest of Martin Luther King Jr.
After the protest began, King was arrested just eight days after. After his release date, the protest grew once again. One main event would be the Children’s March, where many young people marched from churches to downtown businesses on May 2. The police attacked and arrested many. The many attacks on these children led to great support for the civil rights movement. -
The March on Washington
250,000 demonstrators of African and White descent, gathered by the Lincoln Memorial. There were many speeches taking place with songs for the people to sing together. After, Dr.Martin Luther King delivered a powerful speech, calling for freedom and equality for all. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
As Alabama became more tragic, Governor George Wallace stated, “Segregation forever!” As of June 12, 1963, a white segregationist murdered Medgar Evers a civil rights activist in Mississippi. Evers' death made him a martyr for the Civil Rights movement. President Kennedy then announced the civil rights bill. -
Dr. King Is Assassinated
To support a strike of African American workers, Dr. King went to Tennessee in March of 1968. As Dr. Martin Luther King stood on his hotel balcony, he was assassinated by a sniper. His death made riots in more than 100 cities. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, This Act outlawed discrimination on race, religion, color, selling, financing housing, and renting. The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King marked a turning point in the civil rights movement.