Civil Rights Timeline

Brown v. Board of Education

May 17, 1954

1. Plessy v. Ferguson
2. A young black girl was not allowed in her school because of her race
3. Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional

Lamar Smith murdered

Aug 13, 1955

1. Lamar Smith (activist) killed.
2. Brookhaven, Mississippi
3. Three men shot him for helping other blacks try to help give black rights

Rosa Parks arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat

Dec 1, 1955

1. Rosa had gotten on the bus after a long day of work, the bus driver asked her and three other African Americans to move, the two complied while Rosa refused to move. She was then arrested and charged.
2. A riot began and bus segregation ended

Civil Rights Act of 1957

Aug 29, 1957

1. President Eisenhower
2. Primarily a voting rights bill

Events at Little Rock, Arkansas

Sep 24, 1957

1. 9 African American students enrolled at an all white Central High School
2. He had the National Guard protect them

Attack of the Freedom Riders

May 14, 1961

1.They rode interstate buses into the segregated south of the U.S.
2. CORE; civil rights activists
3. Whites joined in too

James Meredith Enrolls at Ole Miss

Sep 30, 1962

1. The Governor of Mississippi sais he was not aloud to enroll because it was against the laws of Mississippi
2. He showed up at one of his court cases and sais he could not enroll because it was against the law

Paul Guilard killed at Ole Miss Riot

Sep 30, 1962

1. Ole Miss Riot
2. Oxford, Mississippi
3. People were protesting against James Meredith and 2 people were shot, one being Paul Guilard

Birmingham Campaign

May 3, 1963

1. Birmingham Campaign 2.Birmingham, Alabama
2. Teens and children who were black were hit with water and attacked by police dogs for their race and segregation

Medgar Evers Assassinated

Jun 12, 1963

1. An African American activist from Mississippi
2. He worked on voting rights, registration, economic opportunity, and access to public facilities for blacks (black rights) was assassinated by a member of the White Citizens Council

The March on Washington

Aug 28, 1963

1.People through a political rally for rights and freedom
2. Martin Luther King Jr. 'I have a Dream' speech

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Jul 2, 1964

1. President Lyndon Johnson
2. Outlawed Discrimination based on sex, race, religion, color.

Lemuel Penn killed by Klansmen

Jul 11, 1964

1. Klansmen
2. Colbert, Georgia 3.KKK were on a rampage and chased his car and shot him

March to Selma

Mar 25, 1965

1. To register black voters in the south
2. The local county sheriff in Dallas county led a steadfast opposition to black voter registration drive
3. The Voting Rights Act passed

Black deputy killed by Nightriders

Jun 2, 1965

1. Nightriders
2. Varando, Louisiana
3. The nightriders was another word for tobacco farmers and police officer was killed

Thurgood Marshall first black Supreme Court Justice

Oct 2, 1967

1. Went to college for law/ helped blacks
2. He truly helped blacks when it came to law and changed history

The Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King

Apr 4, 1968

1. He was in Memphis, Tenessee standing on the second floor of his balcony supporting a sanitation workers' strike.
2. Many blacks relied on Martin to help them, they always thought he would be there to stand up for them. Many whites weren't expecting that so riots broke out.