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Double V Campaign
A call to action by a African-American newspaper to fight fascism abroad, and after victory in Europe they fight for civil rights at home. -
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Civil RIghts Movement
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Brown v Board of Education
A landmark ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States that decided that segregation by race in schools violated the 14th amendment of the US Constitution. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
A year long boycott of the Montgomery Alabama bus service which was caused after Rosa Parks was arrested due to violating the segregation rule on the bus. After a year bus segregation was struck down in Browder v. Gale. -
Little Rock Nine (Little Rock Crisis)
NAACP proceeded to enroll nine black students at Little Rock Central High School after the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education. The students were initially prevented from attending the school by the Arkansas National Guard under the orders of Orval Faubus, but they were soon federalized by President Eisenhower which protected and allowed the students to attend school. -
Freedom Riders
Seven month long protest by civil rights activists to protest interstate segregation which led to a desegregation order from the Interstate Commerce Commission -
Birmingham Campaign
A movement organized by the SCLC and Martin Luther King Jr. in order to bring attention to the plight of African-Americans in the city. The resulting media attention from the protests, sit in's, and students marches, as well as the heavy hand approach of the Birmingham Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor eventually led to the desegregation of Birmingham, Alabama. -
March on Washington
Inspired by the successes of the Birmingham Campaign civil rights and labor leaders organized the March on Washington, the last speaker Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his infamous "I have a Dream Speech" on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the speech has been called one of the greatest in American history. -
Freedom Summer
Caused by the low number of African-Americans registered to vote in Mississippi a civil rights organization called the COFO mobilized activists to register African-Americans in the state. Many "freedom schools, houses, and community centers were set up during the campaign. The murder of three civil rights activists in Mississippi by KKK members, this as well as the wider campaign led to the passage of Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The law signed, which prohibited discrimination based on color, sex, religion, and national origin. This law outlawed many of the racial barriers to voting and the overall Jim Crow laws of the south. -
Selma March and Voting Rights Act of 1965
A march was organized from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, caused by a murder of a civil rights activist and failed campaigns to register African Americans in the state. The resulting press and violence from the marches allowed the hasten passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which outlawed voter suppression due to race. -
Watts Riots
Caused by mistreatment by Los Angeles city government to African-Americans, an inciting incident during a police interaction caused a large scale riot in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. -
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Black Panther Party and Black Nationalist Movement
Caused by discontent by the slow progress of the civil rights movement. Huey Newton funded the Black Panther Party a far left marxist-maoist, black nationalist organization. Many of the party's activities were controversial involving criminal activity like drug dealing contrasting with the more positive activities like sponsored schools. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr and Subsequent Riots
Martin Luther King Jr. The most prominent civil rights activist at the time was assassinated by James Earl Ray, who's motive was primarily hatred of King Jr. and the civil rights movement. The subsequent riots spread to over 100 cities and is widely believed by some to be the biggest domestic disturbances since the civil war.