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The Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Mongomery Bus Boycott was a 13 month boycott of Montgomery's buses. It started after the arrest of Rosa Parks- she did not give up her seat for a white man. Jo Ann Robinson, head of the Women's Political Council, called on African Americans to boycott Montgomery's buses on the day Parks appeared in court. Dr. King also encouraged the bus boycotts as a nonviolent way of protest; According to a news article, this was done until a "satisfactory" seating arrangement was devised. -
The Little Rock 9
It was basically a group of black students who studied in an all-white school. This caused a lot of controversy and sparked white mobs. The students were Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls. According to the Eisenhower Presidential LIbrary, Eisenhower and Faubus sent troops to protect the students. Ernest Green was the first African American to graduate high school. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
The act marked the first occasion since Reconstruction that the federal government undertook significant legislative action to protect civil rights. It established the Civil Rights Division in the Justice Department, and empowered federal officials to prosecute individuals that conspired to deny or abridge another citizen's right to vote. It also created a six-member U.S Civil Rights Commission charged with investigating allegasions of voter infringement. -
The Sit-in Movement
This was a new tactic was added to the peaceful activism strategy. Four African American college students walked up to a whites-only lunch counter at the local Woolworth's store in Greensboro, NC, and asked for coffee. When the service was refused, the students sat patiently, despite the threats and intimidation, waiting to be served. They were sometimes pelted with food, beaten, name-called, yet they never moved and accepted the punishment. Many restaurants abolished segregation because of it. -
Freedom Riders
A group of 13 African-American and white civil rights activists launched the Freedom Rides. It was a series of bus trips through the American South to protest segregation in interstate bus terminals. The Freedom Riders were recruited by the CORE, a U.S. civil rights group, departed from Washington D.C, and attempted to integrate facilites at bus terminals. They encountered a lot of violence but also caught a lot of attention. This led to the ICC prohibiting segregation in bus and train stations. -
James Meredith and the Desegregation of the University of Mississippi
James Meredith wanted to enrolll into an all-white school. Riots broke aout and committed segregationists had gathered to protest the enrollment of James Meredith. 120 Federeal Marshals were tyring to protect Meredith, but the crowed became very violent, and authorities struggled. 2 died and many were injured. Eventually the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit issued a decision in June 1962 ordering the school to admit Meredith. he later became the first black graduate from the university. -
The Birmingham Capaign
It was basically a massive non-violent protest. It began a series of lunch counter sit-ins, marches on City Hall and boycotts on downtown merchants to protest segregation laws in the city. These peaceful protests were often met with violent attacks. High-pressure fire hoses, and police dogs were used on men, women, and children. This led to some of the most disturbing times of the Movement. -
The March on Washington
More than 200,000 Americans gathered in Washington D.C. for the political rally known as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was organized by several civil rights activists and religious groups. The event was meant to broadcast the political and social challenges that African Americans faced throughout the country.This is also when Dr. Martin Luther King spoke his infamous "I Have a Dream" speech. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act was signed in by President Lyndon Johnson. It prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal. This document was the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. -
The Selma March
Dr. Martin Luther King led thousands of nonviolent demonstrators to the steps of the capitolin Montgomery, Alabama. The SNCC and SCLC were campaigning for voting rights. This was mainly a protest for equality. There were several deaths that occured during this, such as the death of Jimmie Lee Jackson. These deaths fueled the march. The march ended up being a success, In the end, Johnson aggreed to sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965 -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This act was signed in by President Lyndon Johnson. It outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many Southern states after the Civil War, inluding literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting. Because this act was the most significant statutory change in the relationship between the federal and state governments in the area of voting, it was immediately challenged in the courts. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King
King was assassinated on April 4, 1968. It was truly a shocking and sad incident. He was a baptist minster and founder of the SCLC. he led the civil-rights movement with powerful words and non-violent tactics. His assassination enraged many African Americans, as well as national mourning.
