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Executive Order 9981
The Executive Order 9981 abolished racial discrimination in the United States Armed Forces which led to the end of segregation in the services. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Brown v. Board of Education stated that segregated schools, public places, etc. were unconstituitional and unequal. This paved the way for the beginning of the Civil Rights Movements and Acts. -
Emmett Till
Emmett Tilll was fourteen and went to a grocery store where he reportedly flirted with a white cashier. Four days later, he was kidnapped by two white men who beat him and then shot him in the head. The men that killed him were tried for murder but an all white, male jury acquitted him. At his funeral, his casket was open so everyone could see what had happened to him. -
Rosa Park's Refusal to Move
The day Rosa Parks refused to move led to the Browder v. Gayle Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses was illegal. -
SCLC
SCLC is the Southern Christian Leadership Conference which is an African American civil rights organization. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the first president. -
Little Rock Nine
These nine original black studnets in Little Rock, Arkansas, led the way to desegregated schools. When these nine students were escorted into the high school, it paved the way for more black students to join public schooling. -
Woolworth Store Sit-In
The original Woolworth Sit-In not only sparked more sit-ins throughout the South, but it brought media and national attention to the segregation in the South. So many of the sit-in's got violent and that ended up bringing President Eisenhower to release a statement saying that he is sorry for the violence occuring to people standing up for their rights that are given to them in the Constitution. -
Student Non-Violent Coordination Committee
Since the creation of the Committee in the 1960s it led to more voting rights, the March on Washington and many other famous non-violent protests. -
Freedom Rides
The first Freedom Rides led to other non-violent protests from the African Americans, Northern White people, and other races. These rides led to the passing of many civil rights, laws, acts and amendments. -
Birmingham Campaign ("Bull" Connor)
The Birmingham Campaign ended on May 10, 1963. The campaign forced desegregation in Birmingham and paved the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
Letter from a Birmingham Jail
This letter was written by Martin Luther King, Jr. while he was in the Birmingham Jail. The letter defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism and argues that people have the moral responsibility to break unjust laws. -
MLK Speech
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. His speech helped the civil rights movement and gave a lot of people hope for the end of segregation. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to the country, led to the initiation of the passed of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and other marches across the country. -
16th Street Baptist Church Bombing
On September 15, 1963, a bomb exploded in a predominantly black congregation that served as a meeting place for civil rights leaders. Four innocent young girls were killed and others were wounded. -
24th Amendment
For the states that did ratify the 24th Amendment, it gained people the right to not pay poll taxes. Not all of the states have ratified the Amendment to date. -
Murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner
On June 21, 1964, three young civil rights workers were murdered in Nashoba County, Mississippi. They had been working to register black voters in Mississippi and were investigating a burned black church. They were then arrested by the police and when they were released, the Ku Klux Klan beat and killed them. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation in public places. It also banned exployment discrimination. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This Act outlawed major forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic, national and religious minorities and women. It also ended unequal segregation in schools, the workplace, and the general public. -
Malcolm X Assasinated
The Malcolm X assasination caused many different reactions of sadness, to anger, and even saying that he had it coming, but even with all of those reactions, Malcolm raised the African-American's self-esteem and brought the African heritage back. -
Bloody Sunday
On March 7, 1965, about 600 people marched for voting rights. Soon, 150 Alabama state troopers arrived and ordered the group to disperse. 58 people were treated for injuries and the day was remembered as Bloody Sunday. -
Los Angeles Race Riots 1965
Citizens in a predominantly black neighborhood is Los Angeles saw policemen arresting a black motorist and believed that it was another incident of racially motivated abuse. Soon, citizens began looting stores, torching buildings, and beating white people. -
Executive Order 11246
This executive order prohibits federal contractors and federally-assisted construction contractors and subcontractors from discriminating in employment decisions. -
James Meredith
James Meredith was the first black student to successfully enroll at the University of Mississippi. For years, he worked as a civil rights activist. On June 6, 1966, he led the March Against Fear, which was a protest against voter registration intimidation. -
Founding of the Black Panther Party
The foundation of the Black Panther Party was a start of a persuit social change among races. -
Loving v. Virginia
This Supreme Court ruling over turned previous jurisdictions that prohibited interracial marriage. This ruling led to a drastic increase in interracial marriages and even same-sex marriages now. -
MLK Assassination
MLK was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 39. -
Civil Rights Act of 1968
The Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act, prohibited discrimination against the sale, rental, and financing of housing. -
Black Panthers Arrested
On December 8, Los Angeles police departments launched a full-scale attack on the Black Panther Party. At 2 different locations, 400 officers arrest the party members and children. -
Voting Rights Act of 1991
This bill to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to strengthen and improve Federal civil rights laws. This Act led to fining employers for discrimination in the work place. -
1992 Los Angeles Race Riots
On April 29, 1992, a jury aquitted four LAPD officers for beating Rodney G. King. After the verdict, angry crowds gathered on street corners across Los Angeles because they thought this was another incident of racially motivated abuse by the police.
