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Brown v. Board of Education
Linda Brown was denied entrance to Topeka’s all-white elementary schools. Oliver Brown, Linda's dad, claimed schools meant for black students were not equal to all white schools. This violated Separate but Equal and was overturned because of this case. It made segregation in public schools unconstitutional. -
Emmett Till Murder
While visiting his family in Money, Mississippi, Emmett Till, who was African American, was murdered after allegedly flirting with a white woman. Roy Bryant, the woman's husband, and J.W. Milam, his half brother demanded to see Till and murdered him. He was found three days later and was left disfigured beyond recognition. Emmett Till's mother had an open casket funeral to show the world of this heinous and racist crime. His killers were found not guilty by an all white jury. -
Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks was a seamstress who refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. She was arrested and fined. This event was the inspiration for the Montgomery Bus Boycott. People boycotted the bus and instead used other types of transportation. -
Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine black students who enrolled at Central High School which was formerly an all white school. An angry mob broke out, and the nine students had to be escorted by troops to class. Many out of the nine students had positive experiences on the first day but were still harassed throughout the school year. Among these students was Ernest Green who became the first black student to graduate from Central High School. -
Greensboro Woolworth's Sit-ins
The Greensboro Sit-ins were a series of nonviolent civil rights protests. At a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, African-American students would sit and refuse to leave until they were served. These protests forced Woolworths, along with other places, to change their policies. The first sit-in was done by four black students who attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. -
Freedom Rides
Freedom Rides were bus trips where civil rights activists would take trips through the south and protest segregated buses. They tried to use whites only bathrooms, lunch counters, etc. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington was a protest at the capital. 250,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial. The purpose was to shine light on the racial issues black people were still facing even 100 years after emancipation. This was the event where Martin Luther King, Jr made his "I Have A Dream" speech. -
Birmingham Baptist Church Bombing
In 1963, a bomb exploded at a church in Birmingham, Alabama. The church was predominantly black and was also a meeting place for many civil rights leaders. Four young girls were killed. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a major event which outlawed employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. -
Bloody Sunday
On Bloody Sunday, 600 people Crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge to begin a 54 mile march from Selma to Montgomery. State troopers attacked the peaceful group of people. -
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act was meant to help African American people overcome the obstacles that prevented them from voting. Blocks like literacy tests were banned and voting turnout increased. -
Loving v. Virginia
Mildred and Richard loving were an interracial couple who got married in the District of Columbia. They were from Virginia and returned to their state after getting married. They were arrested for violating the state's anti-miscegenation statute which made it illegal to marry outside your race. They were found guilty and were sentenced to one year in jail. It reached the Supreme Court, and it was decided that the state of Virginia was violating their Fourteenth Amendment right.