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- 18 Mar 1896, Plessy v. Ferguson
30 year old Homer Plessy identified as black and sat in the white section of the east Louisiana railroad. He was then arrested and the case reached the Supreme Court.
After about a month, the court upheld the Jim Crow Laws allowing races to remain “separate” as long as they were “equal”. The court ruling became the premise for racial segregation for the following 50 years. -
Period: to
Equalibrium for Human Rights in America
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Brown v. Board of Education
5 separated cases in the states of Delaware, Virginia, South Carolina and Kansas were made against the Board of Education in regards of their children not being able to attend schools because of racial segregation. The Supreme Court unanimously decided racial segregation of children in schools was unconstitutional and violated the 14th amendment. This ruling overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson case and children of all colors were able to go to school normally. -
Murder of Emmett Till
14 year old black Emmett Till was claimed to be “flirting” and making lewd remarks towards a white woman behind the counter at a corner store. The woman’s husband found out and he, along with his brother in law, kidnapped till and brutally beat him until his body was horribly disfigured and lifeless. An all-white jury decided the men were “not guilty” for murdering or kidnapping. This case opened many eyes to the inhumanities the Jim Crow laws enabled -
-1956 Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott
On December 1st 1955, a tired Rosa parks refused to give up her seat for a white man. Days later, many African Americans boycotted the bus system and created the Montgomery Improvement Association with Martin Luther King Jr. as its president. Eventually a Montgomery federal court deemed it unconstitutional to segregate riders. December 21st, 1956 the buses became integrated. The Montgomery bus boycotts was one of the first mass civil rights protests that inspired other acts for justice. -
SCLC & Martin Luther King
60 black ministers and leaders from the south banded together to create a civil rights organization following the montomgery boycott. The The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was made and King had been elected as president to the organization. The SCLC adressed problems in nonviolent manners. -
Little Rock Nine & Central High School
After brown v. board of education decision to de-segregate schools, Governor Orval Faubus did not follow court orders to allow 9 black students into Little Rock. He ordered guards to prevent the students from entering, and in response, President Eisenhower sent federal troops to oversee the integration. Little Rock Nine showed how the federal laws were changing and being enforced
And set a standard for children attending mix raced schools. -
- July 25 1960, Greensboro Sit-In
Four tight knit students entered the F.W. Woolworth store in Greensboro, and sat at the white’s only counter even after being denied service. For the next 5 months, more and more students participated in the sit ins in protest against the segregation. This act had inspired many other “ins” including sleep-ins, swim-ins, read-ins, watch-ins, etc. and in Tuesday, July 26, 1960 Woolworth became desegregated. -
Freedom Ride/Freedom Riders
CORE decided to organize freedom rides to challenge the ruling in Boynton v. Virginia which banned segregation in bus travel. In May of 1961 six white and 7 black freedom riders rode together on two buses in the Deep South. They had a bus burned and were beaten in Alabama.On May 29th the ICC were demanded by President Kennedy to impose the ban on segregation in interstate travel. The bravery encouraged more people to get involved and the violence pressured the federal government to do something. -
- July 1964 SNCC & Freedom Summer
CORE and SNCC launched a nonviolent civil rights effort, later dubbed Freedom Summer, to integrate the political system in Mississippi. It was composed of several white students who worked with black community groups and helped African Americans to vote. Freedom summer brought national attention to racism in Mississippi and helped develop future movements for civil rights. -
Civil Rights Act
President John F Kennedy had introduced the idea of a civil rights legislation ending discrimination and segregation practices. President Lyndon B Johnson signed the civil rights act into law. This gave African Americans a more civil life without being discriminated against. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
Upon a pilgrimage to Mecca, his beliefs began to mold as he witnessed racial equality among the Muslims. He returned to America and founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity. On February 21st, 1965 while speaking to his rally, he was shot by three Nation of Islam members. We can never know what Malcom x’s growing philosophy had in store for the civil rights revolution. -
Voting Rights Act
Even though the 15th amendment was passed to protect voting rights, for years and years people of color could hardly vote due to discrimination, intimidation, literacy tests, or violence.The VRA no longer allowed racial discrimination in voting procedures.A quarter of a million new black voters had been registered by the end of 1965.This act was an effective part of civil rights legislation passed that gave African Americans a piece of citizenship they long acquired but were never granted. -
Assassination of MLK
Before leaving to eat a dinner with the minister of Memphis, Martin Luther king walked out onto the balcony of room 306 to deliver a small speech to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Seconds later he was struck by a bullet to his neck and face. He was pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s Hospital. That day the civil rights movement lost a significant leader that caused riots and discord all over the nation. -
March on Washington
Many individuals united together to hold one of the largest peaceful demonstrations in U.S history demanding equal civil and economic rights for African Americans. The event was supported by many celebrities and musicians protesting at the Washington monument. The 250000 people then marched to the Lincoln memorial which was the birthplace for martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a Dream” speech. The march was a big step forward in reaching equality and was an impetus for the Civil Rights Act.
