-
Plessy v. Ferguson
In 1892, Homer Adolph Plessy- who was 7/8 Caucasian- took a seat in a "whites only" car of a Louisiana train. He refused to move to the car reserved for blacks and was arrested.
The Question: Was Louisiana's law unconstitutional?
The Conclusion: No, the justices based their decision on the separate-but-equal doctrine, that separate facilities for blacks and whites satisfied the Fourteenth Amendment so long as they were equal. -
Executive Order 8802
Banned racial discrimination in defense industry and government offices established Fair Employment Practices Committee to investigate violations. The order: “It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin." -
Sweatt v. Painter
Ruled that an inferior law school created by the University of Texas to serve African Americans violated their right to equal protection and ordered Herman Sweatt to be admitted to University of Texas Law School. -
McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents
Ruled that forcing an African American student to sit, eat, and study in segregated facilities was unconstitutional because it inevitably created a “badge of inferiority.” -
Brown v. Board of Education
Declared “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal” and overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and the “separate but equal” doctrine as applied to public schools. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks refused to give up her front row seat of the “colored” section of a Montgomery bus to a white man who wanted her and three other African Americans to move so he would not have to be near them. When Parks was arrested and word got out, the leaders of the African-American community, including many ministers, formed the Montgomery Improvement Association to organize the boycott. -
Little Rock Nine
Nine African American students were blocked from integrating into Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. President Dwight D. Eisenhower eventually sent troops to escort the students into the school, but sadly, these students were still harassed. -
March on Washington
Approximately 250,000 people take part in this march for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King gives his famous “I have a dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial. -
Civil Rights Act
Prohibited discrimination in employment and most places of public accommodation on basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, outlawed bias in federally assisted programs, and created Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. -
Voting Rights Act
Authorized federal supervision of voter registration in states and counties where fewer than half of voting age residents were registered, and it also outlawed literacy tests.
