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15th Amendment is ratified
The 15th Amendment prohibits the government from refusing the right to vote due to race, color, or "previous conditions of servitude". Yet, blacks still faced discrimination almost one hundred years later. -
Plessy vs Ferguson decision makes "separate but equal"conditions in America
The event that caused the case occurred in 1892 when Plessy, who was seven-eighths white, sat in a "whites only" section of a train. He refused to move and was arrested. The case went up to the Supreme Court and legalized "separate but equal" conditons. -
Jackie Robinson breaks the "color barrier" in Major League Baseball
Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play Major League Baseball. Throughout his time with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he faced discrimination from the fans and his own teammates. -
The Brown vs Board of Education decision is handed down
This was a landmark case as the Supreme Court decided that having separate schools for whites and blacks was unconstitutional. -
Emmett Till is brutally murdered in Money, Mississippi
Emmett Till was down in Money, Mississippi when he allegedly whistled or verbally harassed a white woman while leaving a store. That same night, two men kidnapped and murdered him.The two men were tried and found innocent but later admitted to the murder in an interview. -
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat to a white man
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and stand to a white man. She was arrested and fined $14 later that day. This event sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott that lasted just over year. -
Martin Luther King Jr. organizes the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Starting on December 5th, 1955, blacks in Montgomery refused to ride the city buses to protest the segregated seating arrangements. The boycott lasted just over a year, ending on December 20th 1956. -
The "Little Rock Nine" integrates Central High School
Three years after the Brown vs Board of Education, nine students from Little Rock, Arkansas attempted to integrate the all white Central High School. Eventually, Orval Fabus, the governor, used his States Rights and shut the school down. -
James Meredith enrolls at Ole Miss and a riot breaks out
James Meredith attempted to integrate the all-white Ole Miss in late September of 1962. Eventually, riots broke out that ended up leaving two dead and many wounded. -
Bull Connors Birmingham police attack on crowds of young black protesters with dogs an firehoses
Thousands of kids took to the streets of Birmingham, Alabama to protest segregation on May 2nd, 1963. Despite the harsh treatment, the kids kept volunteering and eventually the city desegregated the businesses. -
Medgar Evers is murdered outside of his home
Throughout his life, Medgar Evars faced racism in many forms; He was denied the ability to vote, and entrance to law school. But, eventually he became a leader of the NAACP in Mississippi before being shot outside his Mississippi home. -
Martin Luther King Jr. gives his "I have a dream" speech at the March on Washington
On the day of the March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his iconic "I have a dream" speech. In which, he addressed the many problems that embodied the Civil Rights Movement. -
Four young black girls are killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing
In response to the Children's March, members of the KKK planted bombs outside the church that exploded killing four young girls. The bombing opened the eyes of many shocked Americans. -
24th Amendment is ratified outlawing the poll tax
The 24th Amendment abolished the usage of poll taxes, typically a few dollars that were paid annually by voters to be able to take part in voting. -
"Freedom Summer" begins in Mississippi
In the summer of 1964, groups such as CORE and SNCC organized a voter registration drive in Mississippi; The goal was to increase the numbers of voters in a non-violent fashion. The date might not be exact as there is lots of debate when it started. -
Micheal Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman are murdered
The three men were down in Mississippi working for the Civil Rights Movement when one night, they were followed and murdered. The bodies of the men were found on August 4th underneath an earth-filled dam. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is signed into law by the President
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation in public places as well as banning discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex and religion in workplaces. -
Civil Rights activists march from Selma to Montgomery for voting rights
Martin Luther King Jr led upwards of 3,000 protesters on the 54-mile march from Selma to Washington. The peaceful protesters were eventually met by tear gas from state troopers. Eight days later, President Johnson presented Congress with the bill that would later become The Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is signed into law by the President
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed to overcome the many barriers that blacks faced in the south when trying to vote. The picture shows President Johnson shaking hands with Martin Luther King Jr the day of the signing. -
Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis
Martin Luther King Jr. was in Memphis working on the Poor People's Campaign when he was fatally shot as he was standing on the balcony of his hotel room. James Earl Ray was convicted of the murder and he eventually was stabbed three times in 1981 before dying in 1998.
