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Brown v Board of Education
After Linda Brown, an African American student, was denied admissions into a school because of her race, her parents took the issue to court. The case eventually went to the Supreme Court, and the verdict was that separate but equal was impossible in public education. Which allowed the integration of black and white students in public school. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Martin Luther King Jr and his supporters were boycotting the busses in an effort to negotiate an end to segregation. The successes of the Montgomery Bus Boycott proved that the black community needed to win the hearts of the government and racist whites by love, and not through violence or fear. -
Little Rock 9 and the Desegregation of Schools
9 Black students were going to attend Central High School, a previous whites only school, after a court case desegregated it. The national guard was called to prevent the nine students from entering the school, and an angry mob of racist whites entered the fray, berating the students as they tried to enter the school. Eisenhower then sent the national guard to escort the girls into the school. -
The Sit-In Movement
Four black freshman at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College started the sit-ins, they grew in popularity over time and eventually became the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). They staged sit-ins peacefully, would refuse to leave until they were served like other white customers. -
Freedom Riders
CORE leader James Farmer and his supporters rode busses in the South with one another to draw attention to segregated bus terminals. The Freedom Riders often faced violence by pro-segregationist government leaders and mobs of racist whites. The violence only ceased when President John F Kennedy used his influence to stop the violence but kept allowing the Freedom Riders to be arrested in Montgomery. -
James Meredith and the Desegregation of Southern Universities
James Meredith was an African American air force veteran who wanted a transfer to the University of Mississippi. However, when registering the governor of Mississippi, Ross Barnett, refused to let Meredith enter. In retaliation, John F Kennedy sent 500 marshals to escort Meredith but violence erupted, so Kennedy sent several thousand more troops to keep Meredith safe throughout the school year. -
The March on Washington
Dr. King realized Kennedy would have a hard time pushing a civil rights bill through Congress. Therefore, he searched for a way to secure Congress and to build more public support. More than 200,000 demonstrators of all races went to the capital. King delivered a powerful speech outlining his dream of freedom and equality for all. The speech, the peacefulness and dignity of the March on Washington built momentum for the Civil Rights Bill to be passed. -
Malcolm X and the Civil Rights Movement
Malcom X had a polar opposite approach than Martin Luther King Jr. He condemned the mainstream Civil Rights Movement and believed in segregation, but that black Americans should form their own self-governing communities instead of being under white governments. After he separated with the Nation of Islam, he continued to slander the organization and he eventually was shot and killed in 1965 by one of their members. -
Voter Registration Among Minorities
Despite Black Americans having the right to vote due to the 15th Amendment. Voter registration was hard because of deterrents made by racist whites. The Selma March, which was to bring awareness to the low amount of black voters, was met with violence by an angry mob and police who attacked demonstrators, and arrested over 2,000 black Americans. To help Black Americans, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was enacted to get rid of laws and restrictions that didn't allow black people to vote. -
Urban Problems and the Black Panthers
Urban life was not easy for Black Americans. They experienced the same discrimination as they did elsewhere. Black neighborhoods had higher rates of crime, dirtier, higher poverty rates and higher unemployment rates than white Americans. The Black Panthers were a group of militant black leaders that wanted a revolution in order to force whites to give black people equal rights in America.