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Proposed March on Washington
FDR Presidency. In 1941, Philip Randolph called for a march in Washington DC to protest the exclusion of African Americans from defense jobs. Roosevelt thought the march would be too violent so he signed an executive order that stated that government contractors in the defense industry could not racially discriminate when hiring. -
Major League Baseball
Truman Presidency. In April 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American player in the MLB. This broke a color barrier that had been present in baseball for over 50 years. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers and 50 years after he started his number, 42, was retired from all MLB teams. Despite, the barriers that were broken, Robinson still faced heavy discrimination from Jim Crow laws. -
US Military
Truman Presidency. In July 1948, President Truman signed Executive Order 9981 which called for the desegregation of the US Armed Forces. This ended 170 years of sanctioned discrimination. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Eisenhower Presidency. The Supreme Court made the milestone decision in this case that the segregation using a "separate but equal" basis was unconstitutional. It started in Kansas, Virginia, Delaware, South Carolina, and the district of Colombia. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that segregation in schools violated the 14th Amendment, but the change did not happen immediately. It was a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Eisenhower Presidency. After Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a public bus in December 1955 and was arrested because of it, the Montgomery Bus Boycott began. It was a period of 13 months that citizens refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama. The result of this movement was the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional. -
Central High School
Eisenhower Presidency. After the Brown v. Board of Education decision it took 3 years for African American students to be integrated. It happened first in Little Rock Arkansas with 9 students that entered Central High School on September 3, 1957. Those 9 students came to be known as the "Little Rock Nine". This was met with anger and bitterness. Mobs and the Arkansas National Guard prevented the students from entering. not until the 23rd did the students begin regular attendance. -
Sit-ins
Kennedy Presidency. The Greensboro sit-in was a Civil Rights protest where young African American students in Greensboro, South Carolina sat in at a segregated Woolworth lunch counter and refused to leave. The movement spread to colleges throughout the South. These actions made a lasting impact that forced Woolworth's and many other establishments to change their segregation laws. -
Freedom Riders
Kennedy Presidency. The Congress on Racial Equality led by James Farmer organized the first freedom ride in 1961. They wanted to challenge segregation on interstate transportation by riding buses integrated with black and white students. The first riders left from D.C. and rode to New Orleans. Several of the participants were arrested and attacked. Attorney General Robert Kennedy ordered that the freedom riders would be protected on future rides. Soon segregation was banned on interstate travel. -
James Meredith
Kennedy Presidency. James Meredith became the first African American to attend the University of Mississippi in 1962. -
Birmingham Campaign- Project C
Kennedy Presidency. This was a protest in which the Southern Christian Leadership Conference brought attention to and attacked the segregation system in Birmingham. They did this by putting pressure on merchants during the Easter season. Most of the protestors were citizens. They held mass meetings, direct actions, sit-ins, marches, and boycotts. The result of this protest was the changing of discrimination laws by Birmingham's municipal government. -
Medgar Evers
Kennedy Presidency. Medger Evers was the first field secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Mississippi. He was dedicated to the civil rights movement. In June of 1963, he was murdered whilst trying to enter his home. His death gave many people a renewed determination to keep fighting. -
March on Washington
Kennedy Presidency. In August of 1963 around 250,000 people gathered to protest in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. The goal was to draw attention to the persistent issues within the country. MLK Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" during the protest. The goals were to protest employment discrimination and civil rights abuses. They were also marching to support the Civil Rights Act that the Kennedy Administration tried to pass. This march led to the act being passed. -
Malcolm X
1963-1965. Kennedy and Johnson Presidencies. Malcolm X became the principal spokesman for the Nation of Islam and organized many temples, founded a newspaper, and led a temple. He was a very influential speaker that emphasized Black Nationalism. Malcolm X was assassinated in February of 1965 in a ballroom in NYC by members of the NOI. This was a setback to the movement, but people continued fighting for his ideas. -
16th Street Church Bombing
Kennedy Presidency. A white supremacy group in Birmingham bombed a prominent African American church in the downtown area. 4 young girls were killed and others were injured. This event drew international attention to the racial violence and discrimination occurring in the city. -
Civil Rights Act, 24th Amendment
Johnson Presidency. Congress passed Public Law 88-352 which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It also prohibited it in employment for hiring, firing, and promoting. President Johnson signed the act into action on July 2, 1964. It was the most important civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. The 24th Amendment banned poll taxes. -
Voting Rights Act
Johnson Presidency. President Johnson also signed the Voting Rights Act a year after the Civil Rights Act. This one outlawed discriminatory voting practices including literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting. This act greatly increased the number of African Americans who could vote. -
Black Power Movement, Black Panther Party
Johnson Presidency. The Black Power Movement was a branch of the civil rights movement that had the goal of African Americans securing their rights by creating political and cultural organizations that served their interests. Malcolm X influenced this group. It resulted in the creation of Black-operated services and businesses. The Black Panther Party spoke about what they wanted from the government. This was to include full employment, decent housing, and education, an end to police brutality. -
Rioting and Kerner Commission
Johnson Presidency. The most significant riot in 1967 was the Detroit riot. This riot became the bloodiest urban riot in the US. It lasted 5 days and 43 people were killed. Over 158 riots occurred in 1967, and because of this President Johnson created the Kerner Commission to investigate the causes and to provide recommendations that would prevent them from reoccurring. It also established and expanded federal programs to address issues in America's urban slums. -
Martin Luther King Jr.
Johnson Presidency. MLK Jr. was one of the most prominent leaders of the civil rights movement. He was best, known for his "I Have a Dream" speech. He was an advocate for peaceful protest and other non-violent approaches to face societal issues. On April 4, 1968, Dr. King was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. This news sparked many outbreaks of violence and resulted in more than 40 deaths and extreme property damage. This death caused anger, pain, and devastation.