-
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Alabama, Her courageous act of protest was considered the spark that ignited the civil rights movement. This event also started the Montgomery bus boycott, where black citizens refused to ride the bus until fair rules were put into play. -
Martin Luther King Jr writes his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail"
The letter was an important side look at how African-Americans were being treated and how they felt about it. Dr. King was arrested and sent to jail for protesting segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. After reading an open letter from eight white clergymen in the local newspaper criticizing him and his fellow activists, MLK decided he might as well write back to let them know what was on his mind, the letter defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism. -
The march on Washington for jobs and freedom
The March on Washington was a massive protest march that occurred in August 1963, when some 250,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Also known as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the event aimed to draw attention to continuing challenges and inequalities faced by African Americans a century after emancipation. It was also the occasion of Martin Luther King Jr.’s now-iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. -
The Civil Rights act of 1964 is passed
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, is considered one of the crowning legislative achievements of the civil rights movement. First proposed by President John F. Kennedy, it survived strong opposition from southern members of Congress and was then signed into law by Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon B. Johnson. -
Martin Luther King Jr is assasinated
Martin Luther King Jr's assassination led to an outpouring of anger among Black Americans, as well as a period of national mourning that helped speed the way for an equal housing bill that would be the last significant legislative achievement of the civil rights era.