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Plessy v. Ferguson
In Plessy v. Ferguson the supreme court established the ruling that by having equal arrangements even though separate, did not invalidate the 14th amendment. The decisions therefore, promoted the "separate but equal" doctrine. This proclaimed segregated public places lawful among whites and blacks, even though the colored facilities were all substandard. This set back the action of civil rights and blinded america to accept blacks as less significant. -
Brown v. Board of Education
This case consisted of the Supreme Court assessing the controversy of segregation in public schools. Due to the fact that white and black school systems were extremely uneven, they violated the 14th amendment of the constitution. The verdict came to an end by a unanimous vote of the court which declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Although this case didn't promptly terminate segregation in schools it commenced a plan for desegregation upon school systems in the U.S. -
Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till, a 14 year old African american boy was killed by capturing the attention of Carolyn Bryant at a store in Mississippi.He was kidnapped and brutally tortured only to find his tortured and mutilated body in the Tallahatchie river three days latter. The Emmett Till case resulted in Bryant and Milam given a verdict of not guilty. Not only was the southern black community impacted, but the whole nation grew in concern of the immense racial rampage against blacks in America. -
Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks was a black female who refused to cease her seat to a white man on a Montgomery bus, and hence fore was arrested. In response to her brave actions a boycott against Montgomery buses arose within the African american community causing a grate commotion among the nation. The bus boycotts lasted moreover a year and concluded with bus segregation unconstitutional. -
Founding of Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) & Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King Jr. became nationally recognized for his belief of non-violent resistance and his strong leadership skills to conduct peaceful protest. His organization the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was established in order to seek justice and equality by ethical manners. Through the vast support generated by the Christian church, Kings organization was able to create an infrastructure for the civil rights act. -
Little Rock Nine & Central High School
The Little Rock nine were in fact 9 African american students making history by entering a public white school in the state of Arkansas. To their surprise, their entrance was neglected by an angry white mob and the governor who opposed their entry by placing the National Guard. In response, President Eisenhower sent the Army 101st Airborne Division to guard the students, and established federal protection all year long. The process of desegregation, therefore, began gaining momentum. -
Greensboro Sit-in
The Greensboro Four which consisted of a group of friends dreaming to make a change in society completely amplified a whole new trend that would transform the nation. By commencing a sit-in on February 1st more than 70,000 people had supported the trend by July, proving the power of unity upon a nation. Although, many were taunted they never surrendered, allowing for desegregation of lunch counters. -
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) & Freedom Summer
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee became known through its participation in the Greensboro sit-ins and gained popularity among collage students. Even though they pledged non-violence like the SCLS, the SNCC was considered more independent and was rather inspired by their own ideas. Furthermore, their main aspiration was to establish peace and social order through religious ideals. -
Freedom Rides
Freedom rides consisted of many SNCC members protesting against segregation on interstate buses. Freedom riders, for example, protested by riding the buses from Washington D.C. to New Orleans with harsh encounters of violence in the deep south. Through the intense aid of student activist and King, immense national awareness was drawn towards the issue and federal action began taking place. The freedom rides proved the success that could be gained through nonviolent actions and unity, -
March on Washington
The March On Washington consisted of 5 main organizations including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Even though the march was proposed by A. Philip Randolph in 1962, this became well known for the legendary speech given by King on 1965. In addition, this march became known as the largest most peaceful walk in history involving massive unity for human rights with the presence of 250,000 people. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act which was signed by President Lyndon Johnson officially declared segregation in public places illegal, as well as in schools and work facilities. Even though the act did not fully diminish discrimination, it enforced the process of desegregation. Furthermore, this act made it illegal for any unmoral treatment on a person based on color, race, sex, religion or national origin. -
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act abolished the literacy test which was implemented to restrict blacks from voting. By passing this act federal examiners were established, in which were able to register a quarter of a million backs by the end of 1965 to vote. This act created a grate impact upon the nation and gave African Americans a say. -
Assassination Of Malcolm X
Malcolm X was a prominent leader in the civil rights movement and strongly supported black nationalism. He was best known for being a contentious man when it came to social justice for African Americans. On the morning of February 14 his house was firebombed, and later on the 21st Malcolm X was assassinated by receiving several shots. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated while standing on a second story balcony in his hotel room at about 6:00PM. James Earl Ray, the suspected assassin who fired a single shot caused sever face wounds leading to kings death. Extreme reactions arose within the nation amplifying racial violence and high property damages following his death.
