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Brown vs. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education was a historic Supreme Court case that took aim at the legality of racial segregation in public schools. It all started when Oliver Brown, the father of a young Black girl named Linda, filed a lawsuit against the Board of Education in Topeka, Kansas. He believed it was unjust and unconstitutional for his daughter to have to travel a long distance to attend a segregated Black school, especially when a white school was located much closer to their home. -
Emmett Till Murder
The murder of Emmett Till was a heartbreaking and important moment in the fight for civil rights in America. In 1955, Emmett Till was a 14 year old Black boy from Chicago who went to Mississippi to see family. While he was there, a white woman named Carolyn Bryant said he whistled at her in a store. After that, her husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother, J.W. Milam, took Emmett from his great-uncle’s house. They beat him badly, killed him, and threw his body into the Tallahatchie River. -
Rosa Parks & The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott were a major turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks was a Black woman who worked as a seamstress and supported civil rights. She refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. After that civil rights leaders including a young Martin Luther King Jr. helped organize a bus boycott, thousands of Black people stopped riding the buses and chose to walk, carpool, or find other ways to get around. -
The Little Rock Nine and Integration
In 1957, nine Black students, known as the Little Rock Nine, tried to attend Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. This followed a Supreme Court ruling that ended segregation in public schools. But many Southern states resisted. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus sent the National Guard to block the students, ignoring federal law. -
Greensboro Woolworth's Sit-ins
On February 1, 1960, four Black college students in Greensboro, North Carolina, sat at a "whites-only" lunch counter at Woolworth’s and were denied service. They stayed seated in protest. Their peaceful action sparked sit-ins across the South and became a big moment in the Civil Rights Movement. -
Freedom Rides
In 1961, Black and white activists rode buses through the South to protest segregation in travel. These Freedom Rides, organized by CORE, challenged laws that weren’t being followed. Riders were often attacked and arrested, especially in Alabama and Mississippi. -
MLK's Letter from Birmingham Jail
In Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. defends the use of peaceful protest and argues that waiting for justice is no longer an option for Black Americans. He stresses that unjust laws must be challenged and urges white moderates to take stronger action against racism and segregation. -
March On Washington
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place on August 28, 1963, in Washington, D.C. Over 250,000 people gathered to demand racial equality and economic justice. The event is most famous for Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, where he called for an end to racism and the passage of civil rights laws. The march played a key role in pushing the U.S. government to pass important civil rights laws, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
Birmingham Baptist
On September 15, 1963, a bomb exploded at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Four members of the Ku Klux Klan planted the bomb, killing four young African American girls: Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley. The bombing shocked the nation and became a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement, sparking widespread outrage and increasing support for civil rights reforms. -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment, ratified on January 23, 1964, ended the poll tax in federal elections. Poll taxes were fees that people had to pay to vote, which unfairly impacted African Americans and poor white voters, especially in the South. The amendment made it illegal to deny someone the right to vote because they couldn’t afford the tax, helping to protect voting rights and encourage more people to participate in elections. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a groundbreaking law that banned discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It ended segregation in public places and ensured equal access to jobs and education. This law was a huge victory for the civil rights movement and helped strengthen the constitutional right to equality for all Americans. -
Bloody Sunday
“Bloody Sunday” took place on March 7, 1965, when civil rights activists in Selma, Alabama, were attacked by police as they attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The marchers were demanding voting rights. The brutal violence against them shocked the nation and played a key role in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
“Bloody Sunday” took place on March 7, 1965, when civil rights activists in Selma, Alabama, were attacked by police as they attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The marchers were demanding voting rights. The brutal violence against them shocked the nation and played a key role in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Loving v. Virginia
Loving v. Virginia was a Supreme Court case that struck down state laws banning interracial marriage. The case began when Richard and Mildred Loving, a white man and Black woman, were arrested for marrying in Virginia. The Court ruled that laws prohibiting interracial marriage violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, making such bans unconstitutional across the U.S.