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Heman Marion Sweatt applied for admission to an all-white institution, the University of Texas School of Law, but was denied based on his race. The judge decided that in states where public graduate and professional schools existed for white students but not for black students then both black and white students must be admitted. -
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The Greensboro Sit-In was a non-violent protest where four African American students sat at a White only lunch counter. This event took place in Greensboro, North Carolina, and was in protest of segregation. -
The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) outlawed segregation on buses traveling across state lines. This was a huge victory and this was exactly what the Freedom Riders were fighting for.
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In 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till was visiting family in Mississippi and was accused of harassing a white woman, Carolyn Bryant. Till was later kidnapped from his family's home and murdered by a racially motivated group of white men for "harassing" the woman. -
This protest was sparked when Rosa Parks refused to give her seat up to a White woman which was required by law at this time. After Parks was arrested African Americans stopped riding the buses in protest of segregation which caused a decrease in profit for the bus systems. -
This association was established in Montgomery, Alabama to fight racial injustice. This association fought heavily for the desegregation of buses. -
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was founded to coordinate protests in the South. It was more effective because it was a regional organization and was a major organization that was in support of civil rights. -
This Act made it illegal to interfere with a person's right to vote. The Act also created the Civil Rights Commission which had the authority to investigate discriminatory practices and correct them. -
Nine African Americans tried to enter Little Rock Central Highschool but were met by angry mobs that prevented them from attending school. Soon after President Dwight Eisenhower sent the U.S. army troops to protect the students and they began attending the school regularly. -
The decision in Cooper V. Aaaron denied Arkansas the right to undermine federal law. It also decided racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.
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The Albany campaign was a non-violent protest that included methods such as boycotts, litigation, mass demonstrations, etc. These protests were pushing for desegregation and equal rights. -
Freedom Riders were a group of activists led by James Farmer that rode interstate buses into the southern states. They did this to protest segregated bus terminals and to raise attention to the nonenforcement of the Supreme Court decision that regarded segregation on buses as unconstitutional. -
There were riots by locals, students, and supporters of segregation when James Meredith enrolled at the University of Mississippi. The University was all white and James Meredith was an African American. -
Birmingham, Alabama was extremely segregated so protests broke out to desegregate the city. The protests led to mass arrests of adults so young adults and children began peacefully protesting. They began walking towards the city hall fifty at a time. The Birmingham Police Department arrested many of the students and used high-powered water hoses and police dogs against the demonstrators. -
Medgar Evers was a field secretary of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and an American civil rights activist. He was shot in the back after returning home from an NAACP function. -
Many demonstrators protested in Washington D.C. to fight for the rights of African Americans. This protest is where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech and encouraged everyone to fight for equality. -
Freedom Summer was a project that focused on increasing the number of registered black voters in Mississippi. Three of the volunteers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney were taken and killed by the Klu Klux Klan. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned segregation in public places and made it illegal to deny jobs or discriminate against a person based on race, gender, or religion. The Act also banned using federal funding to fund any discriminatory programs. -
In this court case, the supreme court decided that private businesses cant discriminate based on race. This gave African Americans the right to go to any business they chose and gave them more freedom.
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Malcolm X was a civil rights activist. Malcolm X was thirty-nine years old when he was assassinated by Thomas Hagan. He was assassinated while giving a speech in Manhattan. -
Hundreds of people gathered at Selma to march to Montgomery Alabama to ensure African Americans were able to vote. The marchers were met with tear gas from law enforcement and they were beaten with nightstick. That incident became known as "Bloody Sunday". -
This legislation made it illegal to implement discriminatory voting practices that were to be completed before a person was allowed to vote. These include literacy tests, poll taxes, etc. -
During this march, the African Americans defied the culture of intimidation and fear. They marched from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi to protest racism and voter discrimination. James Norvell shot James Meredith shortly after the march began. -
Martin Luther King Jr. was shot on his balcony before a march by James Earl Ray. He was shot while speaking with people from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). -
The Fair Housing Act made it illegal to deny people housing based on race, color, sex, national origin, handicaps, or family status. This helped many people find housing and helped many African Americans. -
This supreme court case dealt with busing and allowing all races to ride the same bus to school. This court ruling sped up the integration of schools.
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Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman to campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 1972. But racism and sexism held her back from being nominated for president but went on to be a congress woman. -
After the court case, Swann vs. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools many people were upset and the push for integration. Many white people fought back against the integration of schools by holding their kids home from school, throwing rocks at the buses, etc. -
Hank Aaron hit 755 career home runs in 1976. This was a huge moment for African Americans because it showed how they were finally able to achieve things they weren't able to prior to the civil rights era. -
Barbara Jordan was the first African American woman to give the keynote address at a convention. She urged the party to devote themselves to the "national community" and the "common good." -
In this supreme court case, the judge decided that Universities and colleges could not deny admissions based directly on race. This was a big step for African Americans and allowed them to receive an education.
