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Brown v. Board of Education was a Supreme Court case about school segregation. Oliver brown and other parents sued Topeka, Kansas school board saying separate schools for black and white children was unfair. Then the Court ruled that segregation in schools was unconstitutional because it violated the 14th Amendment. This decision ended "separate but equal" and led to school desegregation in the U.S. -
The murder of Emmett Till happened 1955 in Mississippi, Emmett was a 14 year old black boy who was from Chicago. He was falsely accused of whistling at a white woman. Carolyn Bryant. Her husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother, J.W. Milam, kidnapped, beat, and killed Till before dumping his body in a river. An all-white jury found them not guilty but they later admitted to the murder in a magazine interview. -
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1957, led by Martin Luther King Jr. this was to fight segregation through nonviolent protest It was a key role in civil rights across the South, this included the Birmingham Campaign (Alabama), the March on Washington (D.C.), and the Selma marches (Alabama). Leaders like Ralph Abernathy and Ella Baker worked with churches and activists to help and transform Civil Rights Movement. -
Little Rock Nine was a group of nine African Americans students who were attending an all white central high school in Arkansas. On their first day they faced a lot of discrimination and were tortured in all kind of ways and later on Orval Faubus prevented them from entering the school. Eventually president Dwight D. stepped in the students were finally allowed back into the school. -
Greensboro sit-ins were pivotal not violent protests against racial. North Carolina began in Feb 1st, 1960. Four African American college students Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr and David Richmond sat at a "whites only" lunch counter at the F.W. Woolworth store, requesting service. When denied, they remained seated since then their peaceful demonstration inspired similar actions across the South leading to desegregation. -
Ruby Bridges was a six year old African American girl who became the first to integrate into an all white school in 1960, in New Orleans, Louisiana. She attended William Frantz Elementary and faced racism she would be escorted by U.S Marshals into an empty room every day because they didn’t want her interacting with white kids. She still kept attending class and was supported by her teacher Barbara Henry who she says changed her life and is now her best friend. -
Freedom Riders were protestors who rode interstate buses across the South in the 1960s to try and end segregation in bus terminals. The group with both black and white, defied laws that applied to segregation in public places, especially in southern states. They faced violent attacks, including beatings and bombings, but their actions brought national attention to the unfair segregation. -
March on Washington was a big moment, this happened in 1963, in Washington D.C it was a big peaceful protest where people came together to demand equal rights for Black Americans and jobs for everyone. Around 250,000 people up from all over. The event was organized by a lot of Civil Rights groups. The famous moments was when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I have a dream”speech. This went on for weeks to help push the government to pass the law of Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 purpose was to end discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or nationality. It banned segregation in public places and schools, and made sure people weren’t treated unfairly at work. The law was a a big thing toward equality and helped to fight racism and sexism around the nation. -
Malcolm X was a powerful civil rights leader who believed in Black empowerment. He had been part of the Nation of Islam but left in 1964 due to disagreements with its leadership, while giving his speech in 1964 at Harlem, New York, he was assassinated by men, believed to be connected to the Nation of Islam. He was shot 21 times and died at 39. His death shocked the nation, and while the killers were punished, a lot of people still wonder whether others were involved. -
In 1965, civil rights activists organized marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, to demand voting rights for African Americans. The first march, known as "Bloody Sunday," occurred on March 7, 1965, when state troopers and local law enforcement attacked peaceful protesters crossing the Edmund Bridge, resulting in injuries. The final successful march took place from March 21 to 25, 1965, with thousands of participants, including Martin Luther King Jr covering almost 54 miles over five days.
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The Voting Rights act of 1965 was landmark legislation aimed to eliminate racial discrimination in voting, especially in the Southern United States. It banned literacy test and poll taxes that would not allow African American voters. The Act also required certain areas with a history of discrimination for federal approval, known as "approval," before changing voting laws. -
In 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Martin Luther King Jr was standing on the balcony of the Lorraine motel where he was shot. The murder was James Earl Ray fired a single bully from a room near by in a house. Martin Luther was struck in the neck and later died from those injuries at the age of 39. Ray was pleaded guilty to the murder in 1969. -
Rosa Parks was a civil rights protester who refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her arrest shocked Montgomery and they decided to start a year long protest which was led by Martin Luther King Jr. In where African Americans refused to use the city’s buses. After 381 days, The Supreme Court agreed that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional. Later on it became a Civil Rights Movement, inspiring to end racial discrimination.