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Massachusettes
Massachusettes becomes the first state to outlaw slavery -
Nat Turner
Nat Turner leads the slave revolt in virginia -
Dred scott case
In the Dred Scott decision, Scott, a slave who had lived in a free territory, sues for his freedom on the grounds his residence on free soil liberates him. The court also declares that slaves were not citizens and had no rights to sue, and that slave owners could take their slaves anywhere on the territory and retain title to them. -
The Civil War
The civil war begins from 1861-1865 -
The Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." -
14th Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment, making African Americans full citizens of the United States and prohibiting states from denying them equal protection or due process of law, is ratified. Congress reports that 373 freed slaves have been killed by whites.
1869. -
15th Amendment
The Fifteenth Amendment enacted, guaranteeing the right to vote will not be denied or abridged on account of race. At the same time, however, the first "Jim Crow" or segregation law is passed in Tennessee mandating the separation of African Americans from whites on trains, in depots and wharves. In short order, the rest of the South falls into step. By the end of the century, African Americans are banned from white hotels, barber shops, restaurants, theaters and other public accommodations. -
The Civil rights act
Congress passes the first Civil Rights Act, guaranteeing African Americans equal rights in transportation, restaurant/inns, theaters and on juries. The law is struck down in 1883 with the Court majority arguing the Constitution allows Congress to act only on discrimination by government and not that by private citizens. -
Plessy v Ferguson
Supreme Court ruled that segregation was legal, so long as services and facilities provided were “separate but equal”. this opened the door for Jim Crow laws throughout the South -
NAACP
he NAACP is the oldest civil rights organization in the United States, founded in 1909. Among the NAACP's achievements was a lawsuit that resulted in the Supreme Court 's landmark decision in Brown versus Board of Education, in 1954, which declared the segregation of public schools unconstitutional. -
Norris v Alabama
Supreme Court overturned the rape conviction of Clarence Norris in Alabama due to the fact that there were no black members on the jury, which violated his 14th Amendment rights -
Morgan v Virginia
Irene Morgan was convicted for refusing to surrender her seat on a bus going from Virginia to Maryland
Supreme Court ruled that the bus was engaged in interstate commerce and the Virginia law was therefore unconstitutional -
Executive Order 9981
President Truman issued Executive Order 9981, ordering equal treatment and opportunities for all members of the US armed forces, regardless of race. -
Sweatt v Painter
Herman Sweatt sued after being refused admission to the University of Texas law school
Texas created a new black law school, but the Supreme Court ruled that the new school was inferior in quality and decided in favor of Sweatt. -
Brown v Board of Education
Supreme Court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, rejecting the idea that racially segregated schools could offer equal services. Court ordered the desegregation of public schools “with all deliberate speed” -
Rosa Parks
Civil rights activist even before her famous refusal to give up her bus seat on Dec. 1, 1955. Parks was arrested for violating the city of Birmingham, AL segregation laws which required that blacks surrender their seats if necessary to accommodate white passengers -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
In response to Parks’ arrest, black leaders organized a boycott of the Birmingham public transportation system
Over 75% of the bus system’s riders were black, so the boycott seriously damaged revenues
The boycott lasted for over a year, until Parks’ case was resolved when the Supreme Court declared the Birmingham segregation law unconstitutional -
Southern Manifesto
the Southern Manifesto resolution condemning the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education. The resolution called the decision "a clear abuse of judicial power" and encouraged states to resist implementing its mandates. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
Civil rights organization composed of mainly Southern African-American ministers which worked to end segregation and to encourage blacks to register to vote. First president was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr -
The Little Rock Nine
Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus ordered the National Guard to block 9 black students from enrolling at the all-white Little Rock Central High School and later simply relied on white mobs to intimidate the students. Eisenhower ordered the US Army to protect the black students , sending 1000 soldiers to encircle the school and allow the students to register; the soldiers stayed for the rest of the school year.
