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Period: to
Mid to Late 1800's
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The 13th Amendment (Constitutional Amendment)
The 13th Amendment was ratified in 1865, abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. It was used to address the aftermath of the Civil War and was the first of three Reconstruction Amendments. -
The 14th Amendment (Constitutional Amendment)
The 14th Amendment helped establish Birthright citizenship. Meaning it grants citizenship to anyone who is born or naturalized in the United States. It also guarantees equal protection under the law for any and all citizens. In addition, the 14th Amendment prevents states from abridging the privileges of citizens and denying equal protection under the law. -
15th Amendment (Constitutional Amendment)
This Amendment prohibits the government or federal law from denying or abridging any citizen the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. This gave all male citizens, regardless of their race, the right to vote; however, women were not included yet. -
Plessy V. Ferguson (Supreme Court Cases)
Plessy V. Ferguson was a Supreme Court case that issued the decision that would allow the states to mandate racial segregation in public facilities. This was constitutional in their minds because they believed in "separate but equal". This case was also upheld in Louisiana. -
Wilmington Coup (Violent Action)
It was a municipal-level coup and a massacre that was carried out by white supremacists. The goal was to overthrow a democratically (Republican then) elected mayor, Silas P. Wright. A mob of white men led by Alfred Moore Waddell, a former Confederate Colonel, attacked and burned the office of The Daily Record. Waddel forced the resignation and took office as mayor. Black Americans were murdered; estimates range from around 14 to 300 or more. Marked the beginning of the "Jim Crow" laws. -
Period: to
Early 1900's to 1960
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Formation of the NAACP (Formation of an Organization)
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was created in New York City. It is a diverse group of social reformers who fought prejudice, lynching, segregation, and segregation to work for the "people of color". This organization led to legal challenges to segregation, voter rights, education, and better employment of better jobs. This group was crucial for achieving landmark legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1966. -
Truman desegregated the US Military (Executive Orders by the President)
An Executive Order (9981) was issued by President Harry S. Truman. It abolished discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin in the U.S Armed Forces. -
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (Supreme Court Cases Decsision)
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that separating children within a public school based on race was unconstitutional. This allowed for kids of all ethnicities to be merged into one school. -
Emmett Till's Murder (Violent Action)
The lynching or murder of Emmett Till, an African American boy, sparked the Civil Rights Movement. The brutality of the murder exposed the injustice that the legal system held. The following open casket of Emmet Till displayed the racial violence and injustice. -
Rosa Parks is arrested / Montgomery Bus Boycott (Protest)
Rosa Parks was an African American woman who was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. This action violated the segregation laws that were in place. This even sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a protest against bus segregation that lasted 381 days. -
Little Rock Nine (Protest/Rights Movement)
The day nine African American students, now known as the Little Rock Nine, made the attempt to desegregate the Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. However, when they approached the school, they were denied entry by the Arkansas National Guard, deployed by Governor Orval Faubus to block entry. This turned into a major turning point when President Eisenhower intervened by sending the National Guard to escort the Little Rock Nine to uphold the Brown V. Board of Education ruling. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957 (Laws)
The Civil Rights Act of 1957, signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was the first significant federal civil rights legislation since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. It protected the voting rights and established the Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice, giving the attorney general the authority to investigate and prosecute voting rights infringements. -
Greensboro Sit-In (Protest)
A nonviolent protest included four African American students from North Carolina. They sat at Woolworth's lunch counter reserved for whites only, refusing to leave when denied service. This challenged the racial segregation in public accommodations. -
Period: to
1960's to 1971
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Freedom Rides (Protest/Violent Action)
The first Freedom Ride began when thirteen CORE activists boarded two buses in Washington, D.C, to reach New Orleans. The riders aimed to challenge segregation in interstate travel. However, the journey faced violent opposition with mob attacks and the firebombing of one bus. -
March on Washington for Jobs / MLK’s I Have a Dream Speech (Protests including Marches)
Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK Jr.) delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The march consisted of a quarter of a million people to demand an end to segregation, fair wages, economic justice, voting rights, education, and overdue civil rights protection. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Laws)
A landmark legislation that prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in public accommodations, federally funded programs, and employment. It was the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. -
March from Selma to Montgomery (Protests including Marches)
Thousands of civil rights marchers were led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They arrived in Alabama and led a historic march all the way to Montgomery. This march aimed to protest the denial of Black Americans' right to vote. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965 (Law)
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a law signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. It marked a piece of civil rights legislation that aimed to protect the voting rights of all Americans. Eliminating discriminatory practices in voting. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Violent Action)
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated while on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was currently supporting the striking sanitation workers who were demanding better wages and working conditions. He was assassinated by James Earl Ray. -
Swann vs. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (Supreme Court Cases)
The U.S Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Swann V. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education was constitutional. It consisted of the holding of busing students for the purpose of school desegregation. This established the order for busing plans to achieve racial integration.