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Period: to
History of Discrimination
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Dred Scott sued for his freedom
Dred Scott was an American salve along with his wife and two daughters in states where slavery was illegal. In attempt to sue for his freedom, he was unsuccessful. This decision in court against Scott's freedom was a catalyst for the Civil War. -
American Civil War
The cause of this war was the divison between the Northern states (the Union) and the Southern states (the Confederacy). Western territories had intentions to expand slavery, causing an uprising with antislavery forces in the north. 620,000 people died as a result of this war that was driven by slavery. The war ended on April 9th, 1865. -
Death of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth at the Ford's Theatre. Many people were against Lincoln because of his actions to abolish slavery in the United States and didn't agree with his views. -
Slavery Abolished in the U.S.
Slavery was abolished in the United States after the Civil War ended and The Thirteenth Amendment was created. -
Women in Canada earned the right to vote
This right to vote was granted to women 21 years and older, but excluded women of colour. It took until 1960 for all women to earn the right to vote regardless of their race, economic status, or sexuality. -
The Holocaust
When Hitler had power over Germany, he wanted to cleanse his country of those that he deemed "unfit" and creat an Aryan race of blonde haired, blue-eyed civilians. He did this by the extermiation of anyone who didn't fall under that coategory, and focused mainly on the killing of the Jews. The Holocaust officially ended on May 8th, 1945 with the termination of WWII. -
Segregation ruled illegal in the United States
On this day, all the laws that allowed for separation of races that were created around the Civil War were changed to allow for the equality of all individuals, regardless of their race. -
Death of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was murdered at the age of 14 for "flirting with a white woman." The husband of the white woman along with his half brother abducted Till, gouged out his eyes, beat him, shot him in the head, and disposed of his body at the bottom of the Tallahachie River. His funeral was open casket at the request of his mother because she wanted the world to see how far discrimination and racism had come in their society. -
Rosa Parks' arrest
On this day, Rosa Parks sat on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama and was arrested because she refused to give up her seat to a white passeger. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks' arrest triggered a huge uprising in Montgomery, Alabama. A political and social protest began to go against the racial segretation implemented by the bus system. On December 20th, the laws surrounding the segregated buses were declared unconstitutional and the bus boycott was ended. -
Affirmative Action
This policy was introduced on March 6th, 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. The purpose of Affirmative Action was to equalize minority rights in the workplace, education, and businesses by ensuring that all companies fill a certain quota of empolyees of the minority. -
Death of Medgar Evers
Medgar Evers was a civil rights activist and fought hard to stop the segregation that was being experienced at the University of Mississippi. Hours after JFK's speech supporting civil rights, Byron De La Beckwith - a member of the White Citizen's council - arrived at Ever's house and shot him. -
March on Washington
During this political rally - otherwise known as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom - 200,000 individuals gathered to bring awareness to the political and social challenges facing Aferican Americans across the United States. It was during this march that Martin Luther King Jr. said his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. -
Civil Rights Act implimented in the U.S.
This act prohibited discrimination against any indiviual based on their race, religion, sex, or ethnicity in the United States. It was first introduced on June 20th, 1963 but wasn't put into action until nearly a year later. -
Death of Malcolm X
Malcolm X was a civil rights activist and a black supremacist. He delt with plenty of backlash because of his fight for supremacy and use of violence. He was shot right before he was supposed to speak at the Organization of Afro-American Unity. -
Death of Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis by James Earl Ray. People who had traditional views on racism and discrimination were against King due to his prominent role in leading the African-American civil rights movement. -
Legalization of homosexuality in Canada
Pierre Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada at the time, passed the amendment into the Crimnal Code to decriminalize homosexuality. -
The case of Delwin Vriend
Vriend was a chemistry lab tacher at The King's College in Edmonton and was fired when he opened up about being in a gay relationship. He filed a discrimination compaint but was refused because sexual orientation was not protected under Alberta's human rights code at the time. His case was appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada and in 1998, it was ruled that all provinces could not deny citizens protection of human rights because of sexual orientation. -
Assault of Rodney King
After being involved in a car chase, King was excessively beat by L.A.P.D. officers. This act of violence was a result of racism and was the trigger for the Los Angeles riots in 1992. -
Death of JFK Jr.
JFK Jr. died in a plane crash along with his wife Carolyn and his Carolyn's sister Lauren on their way to JFK's cousin's wedding. He was 38 years old. -
First country to legalize same-sex marriage:
The Netherlands. -
Legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada
Canada became the fourth country to legalize same-sex marriage. -
Death of Trayvon Martin
Trayvon Martin was a seventeen-year-old boy of African-American descent who was shot by George Zimmermen, a neighbourhood Watch coordinator. Martin did nothing wrong but due to racial profiling was suspected by Zimmerman. Zimmerman shot Martin out of "self defense", he claims. After an unnecessarily lengthy trial, Zimmerman was finally charged with second-degree murder.
