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Brown v. Board of Education
he Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine. This landmark decision marked a major victory for the Civil Rights Movement, paving the way for desegregation efforts across public institutions. -
Murder of Emmett Till
Fourteen-year-old Emmett Till was brutally murdered in Mississippi after allegedly whistling at a white woman, shocking the nation with the brutality of racial violence. The open-casket funeral and widespread media coverage exposed the horrors of Southern racism, galvanizing civil rights activism -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Sparked by Rosa Parks' arrest for refusing to give up her bus seat, African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama, boycotted the city’s segregated bus system for over a year -
Little Rock Nine
Nine African American students integrated Central High School in Little Rock, facing violent opposition and requiring federal intervention to enforce desegregation. -
Lunch Counter Sit-Ins (Greensboro)
Four African American college students in Greensboro, North Carolina, began sit-ins at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter, sparking similar protests across the South. These nonviolent demonstrations challenged racial segregation in public spaces, inspiring youth activism and drawing national attention to the injustice of Jim Crow laws. -
Freedom Bus Rides
Interracial groups of activists rode buses through the South to challenge segregated interstate transportation, facing violent attacks from white mobs. -
Birmingham Protests
Civil rights activists, led by Martin Luther King Jr., protested segregation in Birmingham, Alabama, facing violent police repression, including fire hoses and attack dogs. The televised brutality shocked the nation, increasing public support for civil rights and pressuring the federal government to act. -
March on Washington
Over 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C., to demand civil rights and economic equality, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. -
Freedom (Mississippi) Summer
volunteers, mostly college students, worked in Mississippi to register African American voters and establish Freedom Schools, facing violence and intimidation. The project highlighted the systemic disenfranchisement of black voters and brought national attention to racial violence, especially after the murder of three volunteers -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed this landmark law, prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in public accommodations, employment, and federally funded programs. -
Selma Marches
Civil rights activists marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, to demand voting rights, facing violent attacks by state troopers on “Bloody Sunday.” The televised violence outraged the nation, leading to federal protection -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
this law outlawed discriminatory voting kaws, such as literacy tests, and authorized federal oversight of elections in areas with a history of voter suppression. It dramatically increased African American voter registration and political participation