Civil Rights Timeline

  • The Supreme Court Decision of Plessy v. Ferguson

    The Supreme Court Decision of Plessy v. Ferguson
    The Court's “separate but equal” decision in Plessy v. Ferguson on that date upheld state-imposed Jim Crow laws. It became the legal basis for racial segregation in the United States for the next fifty years.
  • The Tuskegee Airmen

    The Tuskegee Airmen
    The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American soldiers to successfully complete their training and enter the Army Air Corps .
  • The Integration of Major League Baseball

    The Integration of Major League Baseball
    the end of segregation led to a golden age of Major League Baseball
  • The Integration of the Armed Forces

    The Integration of the Armed Forces
    it was an end to racial segregation in the military
  • The Supreme Court Decision of Sweatt v. Painter

    The Supreme Court Decision of Sweatt v. Painter
    The Sweatt decision helped pave the way for African-Americans' admission to formerly segregated colleges and universities across the nation, and led to the overturn of segregation by law in all levels of public education in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education four years later.
  • The Supreme Court Decision of Brown v. Board of Education

    The Supreme Court Decision of Brown v. Board of Education
    The Court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, and declared that racial segregation in public schools violated the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
  • The Death of Emmitt till

    The Death of Emmitt till
    the racial violence and injustice prevalent in Mississippi.
  • The Montgomery Bus Boycott

    The Montgomery Bus Boycott
    Rosa Parks invigorated the struggle for racial equality when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama.
  • The Integration of Little Rock High School

    The Integration of Little Rock High School
    nine ordinary teenagers walked out of their homes and stepped up to the front lines in the battle for civil rights for all Americans.
  • The Civil Rights Act of 1957

    The Civil Rights Act of 1957
    The new act established the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department and empowered federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote.
  • The Greensboro Four Lunch Counter Sit-In

    The Greensboro Four Lunch Counter Sit-In
    four friends sat down at a lunch counter in Greensboro. That may not sound like a legendary moment, but it was. The four people were African American, and they sat where African Americans weren't allowed to sit. They did this to take a stand against segregation.
  • The Freedom Rides by freedom Riders of 1961

    The Freedom Rides by freedom Riders of 1961
    the Freedom Riders attracted the attention of the Kennedy Administration and as a direct result of their work, the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) issued regulations banning segregation in interstate travel that fall.
  • The Twenty-Fourth Amendment

    The Twenty-Fourth Amendment
    It abolished and forbids the federal and state governments from imposing taxes on voters during federal elections.
  • The Integration of the University of Mississippi

    The Integration of the University of Mississippi
    With his admission to the University of Mississippi in 1962, James Meredith became one of the heroic figures in the American Civil Rights Movement, succeeding against every legal, political and bureaucratic obstacle that blocked his path to becoming the university's first African-American student.
  • The Integration of the University of Alabama

    The Integration of the University of Alabama
    opened doors not only to two Black students, but for decades of progress toward becoming an inclusive campus.
  • The March on Washington & "I Have a Dream" Speech by MLK

    The March on Washington & "I Have a Dream" Speech by MLK
    “The real significance of the march, and the speech, was that it changed attitudes. Righteous indignation against racial discrimination became widespread after the march.
  • The Assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas

    The Assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas
    president of the United States, was assassinated while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas.
  • The Civil Rights Act of 1964 signed by President Johnson

    The Civil Rights Act of 1964 signed by President Johnson
    prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal.
  • The Assassination of Malcolm X

    The Assassination of Malcolm X
    emphasis on Black Nationalism. He believed that African Americans needed to take control of their own lives and destinies and should not rely on the larger American society for their well-being.
  • The Selma to Montgomery March : Bloody Sunday

    The Selma to Montgomery March :  Bloody Sunday
    helped spur passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 three months later.
  • The Voting Rights Act of 1965

    The Voting Rights Act of 1965
    remove race-based restrictions on voting. It is perhaps the country's most important voting rights law, with a history that dates to the Civil War.
  • The Assassination of MLK Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee

    The Assassination of MLK Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee
    News of King's assassination prompted major outbreaks of racial violence, resulting in more than 40 deaths nationwide and extensive property
  • The Voting Rights Act of 1968

    The Voting Rights Act of 1968
    prohibited racial discrimination in voting. The Act was later expanded to help protect the right to vote for racial minorities throughout the country (mainly the South)