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Brown Vs. Board of Education
A young black girl sued the state for the right to attend a white public school. The Chief Justice decided that “Separate but Equal” was indeed not equal and ruled in favor of the young girl, desegregating schools, but also public places. -
Emmett Till
Emmett Till was a young black man who said something provocative to a white woman in a store. He was then kidnapped and lynched by the white woman’s husband, the store owner and his brother-in-law.
The images shown of Emmett Till's body enraged the United States. This helped push equal rights for African Americans. -
Emmett Till Trial
The two men who kidnapped and lynched Emmett Till - Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam - confessed to the crimes they were accused of. The jury, after deliberating for a little over an hour, returned with a "not guilty," vedict and the men were released.
This upset the black community because the two men confessed to the crime, but the all white jury released them. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks was a seamstress who was arrested because she refused to give up her seat to a white man when the bus driver asked her and three other blacks to move so he could sit down. This caused the black community to protest. They began to carpool and walk instead of using the public transportation systems. The protest lasted over a year. On December 21, 1956, blacks returned to the buses. This event proved that the black population could effect the city. -
Little Rock
Schools were desegregated and nine black students, the "Little Rock Nine," were supposed to become students at a former all-white Central High School in Arkansas. The Governor ordered that they be blocked from getting into the school, so President Eisenhower sent federal troops and the National Gaurd to intervene and protect the students.
This showed that the president was behind the black community and it helped them in their struggle for equal rights. -
Sit-Ins
Black activists sat at the lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. They were to not fight back, curse back, laugh, hold conversations, or block entrances, be respectful, “show themselves friendly on the counter,” sit straight and face the counter. A group of white teenagers attacked the protesters in Nashville. When the police arrived, the let the white teenagers continue as the arrested the protestors for "disorderly conduct." This showed that the black community was willing to fight. -
Freedom Riders
Seven black and six whites traveled from Washington D.C. to the deep south on two public buses. They did it to try to desegregate buses in interstate and rail stations. The riders were severely beaten and one bus was bombed. The buses had to be escorted by police officers, but once they got to the city limits the police officers left and the buses were attacked.
This showed the black communities determination. -
March on Washington ("I have a Dream")
200,000 Americans gathered for a political rally in Washington D.C. The rally was called "The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom." The rally was to raise awareness on socical and political challenges that African Americans faced. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous speech, "I have a dream," that called for racical justice and equality.
This showed how many people, black and white, were supportive of equal rights. -
Civil Rights act of 1964
The Civil Rights act of 1964 is an act that made racial, religious, and sex discrimination by employers illegal. Also giving the government the power to enforce all laws governing civil rights, including desegregation of schools and public places.
This act was a major step in equal rights. -
Civil Rights Act of 1965
The Civil Rights Act of 1965 is an act that gave federal protection to black voters which allowed many more to vote and participate in the government.
This was a big step in the fight for equal rights because it gave blacks the ability to have an impact on their government. -
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was the laywer who represented the black girl in the Brown vs Board of Education trial. He was the first black justice to be elected to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court was a very prestigious coucil. Nobody ever thought a black man would be on the Supreme Court, but when Thurgood Marshall was appointed it showed the fight for equal rights had worked.
