Early African American struggle for equality

The first African slaves arrived in America

Dec 31, 1619

Slavery is made illegal in the Northwest Territory.

Dec 31, 1787

The U.S Constitution states that Congress may not ban the slave trade until 1808.

Congress bans the importation of slaves from Africa.

Mar 2, 1807

Began of Civil War

Apr 12, 1861

The Confederacy is founded when the deep South secedes, and the Civil War begins.

Plessy v. Ferguson

May 18, 1896

Plessy v. Ferguson: This landmark Supreme Court decision holds that racial segregation is constitutional, paving the way for the repressive Jim Crow laws in the South.

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kans.

May 17, 1954

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kans. declares that racial segregation in schools is unconstitutional.

The Civil Rights Act

Jul 2, 1964

President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act, the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. It prohibits discrimination of all kinds based on race, color, religion, or national origin.