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Twenty Africans arrived in Jamestown, Virginia
Twenty Africans arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, aboard a Dutch ship. They were the first blacks to be forcibly settled as involuntary laborers in the North American British Colonies. -
14th Amendment passed
Forbids any state from depriving citizens of their rights and privileges and defines citizenship -
Plessy v. Ferguson decision
Supreme Court rules that separate but equal facilities for different races is legal. Gives legal approval to Jim Crow laws -
Booker T. Washington writes Up From Slavery
Arguing that gradual progress is the best path for blacks, Washington focuses on job training and suggests that self-respect and self-help would bring opportunities -
Freedom riders oppose segregation
Blacks and whites take buses to the South to protest bus station segregation. Many are greeted with riots and beatings -
"Letter from Birmingham jail"
In response to white ministers who urge him to stop causing disturbances, King issues articulate statement of nonviolent resistance to wrongs of American society -
Bombing of Birmingham church
4 black girls are killed by bomb planted in church -
24th Amendment passed
Poll tax (which had been used to prevent blacks from voting) outlawed. Black voter registration increases and candidates begin to turn away from white supremacy views in attempt to attract black voters -
Civil Rights Act passed
Congress passes law forbidding racial discrimination in many areas of life, including hotels, voting, employment, and schools -
Malcolm X assassinated
Malcolm splits off from Elijah Muhammad's Black Muslims and is killed by black opponents -
Voting Rights Act approved
southern black voter registration grows by over 50% and black officials are elected to various positions. In Mississippi, black voter registration grew from 7% to 67% -
King assassinated
King is shot by James Earl Ray. Riots result in 125 cities -
Bakke v. Regents of University of California decision
Supreme Court rules that fixed racial quotas are illegal after Allan Bakke is denied admission to UC Davis medical school even though his grades and scores were higher than most minority applicants admitted -
Pregnancy Discrimination Act Signed
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 prohibits employment discrimination against female workers who are (or intend to become) pregnant -- including discrimination in hiring, failure to promote, and wrongful termination. -
First Race
The first race riots in decades erupt in south-central Los Angeles after a jury acquits four white police officers for the videotaped beating of African-American Rodney King -
Lawrence v. Texas (Rights of Same-Sex Couples)
The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas declares unconstitutional a Texas statute that criminalizes same-sex sexual activity. -
Senator Edward Kennedy introduces the Civil Rights Act of 2008.
This bill was introduced on January 23, 2008, in a previous session of Congress, but was not enacted. -
First Black President
Barack Obama Democrat from Chicago, becomes the first African-American president and the country's 44th president. -
Michael Brown killed
Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old was shot and killed in Ferguson, Mo., by Darren Wilson. On Nov. 24, the grand jury decision not to indict Wilson was announced, sparking protests in Ferguson and cities across the U.S., including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Boston. -
The 114th
The 114th Congress includes 46 black members in the House of Representatives and two in the Senate.
