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First enslaved Africans are brought to America
Slavery was legal in America in the timespan between 1625 and 1865. Some humans were treated like objects that could be purchased and sold. -
Harriet Tubman escapes slavery
Harriet Tubman (1820 - March 10, 1913) was one of the few who escaped from slavery. She helped over 300 slaves escape as well. -
Emancipation Proclomation
The Emancipation Proclamation was a presidential proclamation and executive order made by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. It freed more than 3 million enslaved people in the areas of the South from slavery. -
Jim Crow Laws
Jim Crow laws were state and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States. The laws continued in force until 1965. The laws made it legal to separate blacks and whites in things such as public transport, shopping centres etc. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
On June 7th 1892, Homer Plessy purchased a first class ticket on a “Whites Only” railway car and boarded it. He was arrested by a private detective to ensure that he was for violating the Separate Car Act. Plessy challenged the “Separate but Equal” doctrine, but lost. It remained a law until the Brown vs. The Board of Education case in 1952. -
Brown vs. The Board of Education
A class action suit was filed against the Board of Education of the City of Topeka, Kansas in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas. The accusers were thirteen Topeka parents on behalf of their 20 children, Oliver Brown, Darlene Brown, Lena Carper, Sadie Emmanuel, Marguerite Emerson, Shirley Fleming, Zelma Henderson, Shirley Hodison, Maude Lawton, Alma Lewis, Iona Richardson, and Lucinda Todd. -
Rosa Parks Bus Incident
Rosa Parks was 42 year old African American woman. She boarded a Montgomery City bus on her way home. She sat in the middle of the bus on the white-reserved side of the bus. A few stops later, the bus became almost full. That was when a white men stepped on to bus and the driver insisted that the four black people give up their seats so the man could sit down. Rosa Parks, who was a member of the NAACP, refused to move. She was arrested and charged for violating the Jim Crow Laws. -
March To Washington
This was when more than 200 000 people got together in Washington D.C. for a political rally which was known as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was put together by a few civil rights and religious groups. This event is very famous because the “I Have a Dream” speech originated at this event, this is where the late Martin Luther King Jr. became a famous figure in the civil rights movement. -
Civil Rights Act Passed
This is when President Lyndon Johnson prohibited discrimination in public places, and gave everyone the right to attend whatever school they wanted. The act also made employment discrimination illegal. It was a very significant time in history for African Americans. -
March To Selma
About 600 protesters attempted to march from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery, but things got complicated when the authorities were resisted their protest and were violent in doing so. But, the protesters were successful and made it to Montgomery in three days. -
Martin Luther King Assassination
Martin Luther King Jr. was staying in room 306 in the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. He wandered out onto the balcony of his room at 6:01pm when a single shot was fired from a Remington Model 760 and hit him in the cheek. The bullet travelled down to his shoulder, severing his jugular vein in the process. He was immediately knocked unconscious. It’s a significant event because Martin Luther King was a remarkable figure in the civil rights movement.
