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Plessy v.s Ferguson
This case stemmed from an 1892 incident in which African-American train passenger, Homer Plessy, refused to sit in a car for blacks This Supreme Court case that reinforced the constitutionality of racial segregation under the ideology of “separate but equal.” The restrictive Jim Crow legislation was encouraged by this case, and the fight for equality sparked from this. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Oliver Brown’s daughter was barred from entering an all white school in Kansas. In 1951 NAACP filed a class action on behalf of Brown and others, challenging racial segregation. Lawsuit (presided by chief justice Earl Warren) resulted in ending the “separate but equal” ideology established by the Plessy v. Ferguson case in 1896; (segregation by law was a violation of the 14th amendment, therefore ruled unconstitutional) marking the end of segregation, sparking the civil rights movement. -
Murder of Emmett Till
At 14 years of age, he went in to Bryant’s Grocery and meat market in money, Mississippi, to buy bubble gum. He supposedly whistled at the white store owner, Carolyn Bryant, later found out to be a lie, but he was still kidnapped, tortured and thrown into the Tallahatchie river. Till’s mother insisted that they have an open case funeral, in hopes of initiating the fire of the civil rights movement. -
Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks was riding in the colored section when she was asked to give her seat up to white passengers. Rosa refused and was arrested, sparking a 13 month boycott of buses by civil rights activists. Without African American passengers, the bus companies were losing money and they became forced to integrate buses in Montgomery in 1956. The boycott proved important not only because it integrated buses but also because it allowed MLK to obtain a leadership role in the civil rights movement. -
Founding of Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) & Martin Luther King
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was founded in January of 1957 with the first president of the organization being Martin Luther King. The SCLC focused on issues relating to the desegregation of cities in the south. The impact of the SCLC and Martin Luther King is that they allowed African Americans to peacefully fight for their rights. -
Little Rock Nine & Central High School
The little Rock were a group of 9 African American students that enrolled into a white high school in September of 1957 as a result of the segregation of schools being declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education(1954). The governor of Arkansas ordered the National Guard to stop the students from entering the school but President Eisenhower sent federal troops to uphold the decision. The main effect was that it was a start for the desegregation of schools. -
Greensboro Sit-In
The Greensboro Sit-in involved a group of four African American students who sat at a lunch counter in North Carolina. They were refused service since they sat in the white only section and did not leave the seats until the store closed although they returned the next day with more students. This was significant as it started a wave of sit-ins as a form of peaceful protest across many states and some stores had to change policies on segregated seating. -
Freedom Ride/Freedom Riders
Freedom riders were civil rights activists that took part in bus rides throughout the south in 1961. The main goal was to make use of the Supreme Court decision made in Boynton v. Virginia that didn’t allow segregation in transportation facilities. The activists, who were faced with violent opposition did not stop and ultimately the Interstate Commerce Commission ended segregation at interstate terminals. -
March on Washington
250,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial. This is where Martin Luther King gave his “I have a dream” speech. It was a march for jobs and freedom, aimed to draw attention to continuing challenges and inequalities faced by African Americans. Furthermore, the speech intended on bringing the two races together allowing them to live happily alongside one another. -
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) & Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer was a 1964 voter registration drive sponsored by CORE (Congress On Racial Equality and the SNCC) It was aimed at increasing black voter registration in Mississippi. The KKK police and state and local authorities carried out a series of violent attacks against the activist. In Mississippi (1962), less than 7% of the state’s eligible black voters were registered to vote, historically low levels hence why the project was run there. -
Civil Rights Act (1964)
Many clashes between civilians and police, use of batons, water hoses, and dogs. to A major catalysts for this act was the Brown v. Board case, along with the arrest of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott. Prior to this however, JFK was assassinated, placing the fate of this act on his successors shoulder’s Johnson. Passed with a narrow vote; ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
Malcolm was sent to prison on a burglary conviction. There he met with the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of Islam, who advocated black nationalism and racial separatism. He was assassinated by Black Muslim rivals before he was about to deliver a speech about his new organization called the Organization of Afro-American Unit. Additionally, he drew upon the idea of the creation of the black panther, armed resistance against the whites. (created a black identity) -
Voting Rights Act (1965)
The voting rights Act of 1965 was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson and it was intended to override state regulations restricting African Americans from voting. It wanted to ensure the 15th amendment rights granted by the U.S. constitution. It resulted in increased voter numbers in the south but it also added protection for citizens who don’t speak English. -
Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in April of 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee where he was preparing for a march with members of the Southern Christian Leadership conference. On April 4th King was killed in the Balcony of his hotel by a sniper. His death caused lots of riots around the country as supporters of the civil rights movement were shocked and outraged. It also helped expedite the passing of important civil rights bills such as the Fair Housing Act under Lyndon B. Johnson.
