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The U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the racist policy of segregation by legalizing “separate but equal” facilities for blacks and whites.
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The U.S. Supreme Court unanimous decision that overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine in public schools.
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Rev. George Lee
one of the first black people registered to vote in Humphreys County, used his pulpit and his printing press to urge others to vote. White officials offered Lee protection on the condition he end his voter registration efforts, but Lee refused and was murdered. -
Lamar Smith
was shot dead on the courthouse lawn by a white man in broad daylight while dozens of people watched. The killer was never indicted because no one would admit they saw a white man shoot a black man. Smith had organized blacks to vote in a recent election. -
Emmett Till was murdered in Money, Mississippi
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Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery City Bus and was arrested.
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The Montgomery Bus Boycott begins.
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Willie Edwards Jr
a truck driver, was on his way to work when he was stopped by four Klansmen. The men mistook Edwards for another man who they believed was dating a white woman. They forced Edwards at gunpoint to jump off a bridge into the Alabama River. Edwards’ body was found three months later. -
The Little Rock 9 enter Central High School as federal troops oversee the situation sent by President Eisenhower.
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4 black college students sat at an all-white lunch counter and started a sit-in protest at a Woolworth’s store.
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Freedom riders begin a bus ride through the South to protest segregation.
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Albany Movement
This movement protested the segregation policies in Albany, Ga. Many groups took part in the Albany movement, including the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), local activists and King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). -
Mississippi Riot
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Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham protesting in the “most segregated city in America.”
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More than 250,000 people, march on Washington to demand immediate passage of the civil rights bill.
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Church in Birmingham
A bomb at 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama kills four young girls and injures several other people prior to Sunday services. The bombing fuels angry protests. -
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the premier legislation for Civil Rights into law.
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Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn
a Washington, D.C., educator, was driving home from U.S. Army Reserves training when he was shot and killed by Klansmen in a passing car. -
Chicago Freedom Movement
The Chicago Open Housing Movement, also called the Chicago Freedom Movement, was formed to protest segregated housing, educational deficiencies, and employment and health disparities based on racism. -
A march from Selma to Montgomery to fight for voting rights begins.
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Rev. James Reeb
a Unitarian minister from Boston, was among many white clergymen who joined the Selma marchers after the attack by state troopers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Reeb was beaten to death by white men while he walked down a Selma street. -
Malcolm X is assassinated
Black religious leader Malcolm X is assassinated during a rally by members of the Nation of Islam. -
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law outlawing literacy tests.
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Huey Newton & Bobby Seale founded the “Black Power” political group known as the Black Panthers.
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Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis.
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Poor People’s Campaign
The goal of the Poor People’s Campaign was to gain more economic and human rights for poor Americans from all backgrounds. A multicultural movement, the campaign included Asian Americans, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Native Americans and whites along with African Americans.
