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Plessy V. Ferguson
Basically legalized racism and declared that whites and African Americans are separated, but equal. -
NAACP- National Association of Colored People
This group urged African Americans to protest racial violence and fight for legislation to protect African American rights. It represented new, more militant voices of African Americans. -
Thurgood Marshall
Fought racism, and was the first African American supreme court justice. The best law students in NAACP were placed under his direction; they won 29 out of 32 cases. Ex: Brown vs. Board of education. -
De Jure vs. De Facto segregation
De facto was segregation that existed by practice and custom, while de jure was segregation by law. De facto was harder to fight because you had to change people ideas rather than repealing laws. It was more difficult for African Americans to convince whites to share economical and social powers than to convince them to share bus seats and water fountains. -
Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka
Declared that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional. -
Emmett Till
14 year old who was murdered in Mississippi from whites for supposedly talking to a white women in a store. Made people think how bad this situation was and encouraged African Americans to change this and do something. -
Rosa Parks
Was a seamstress and NAACP officer. She took a seat in the front row of the colored section of a Montgomery bus. Drivers ordered her to give up her seat, but she refused to move. She protested segregation through everyday acts like refusing to use colored only drinking fountains. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery to protest segregating seating. This was the first U.S large scale demonstration against segregation. -
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
A minister who had a PHD in theology from Boston University. Delivered the "I have a dream" speech. He was passionate and eloquent with a sense of mission to help change a lot of segregation issues. He proved the power of nonviolent resistance and based his ideas off of Thoreau for civil disobedience, Randolph for learning to organize demonstrations and learned to resist oppression from Gandhi. -
Little Rock School Integration
The governor of Arkansas brought in the Arkansas National Guard to let 9 African American students into their integrated high school much to a lot of white students/people's dismay. -
The Sit Ins
Students from across the US organized sit ins at counters of different places like restaurants to protest segregation. It was a non violent strategy of civil disobedience. -
Freedom Rides
Civil rights activists who rode buses into the segregated United States. They wanted to end racial segregation in public transit including buses and train terminals. -
March on Birmingham, Alabama
Days of demonstrations led by Martin Luther King Jr. in Birmingham which was the most segregated city in America. A group of people marching (including King) were arrested during a demonstration. -
March on Washington
A lot of people came to the nation's capital to demand civil rights for African Americans. It was one of the largest political rallies in history. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I have a dream" speech here. -
Malcolm X
After being in prison he became an Islamic minister. He was a brilliant thinker and engaging speaker and preached Elijah Muhammad's views that whites were the problem and that blacks should separate from them. -
24th Amendment
Says that states couldn't deny the right to vote due to failure to pay a tax. It also outlawed the poll tax for voters in federal elections; but 5 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia) still had it which affected African Americans. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination and racism of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It was a big achievement in Civil rights movement. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Added one million African Americans to the voting rolls. -
March from Selma to Montgomery for Voting Rights
African Americans wanted to register black voters in the south so they led a march/protest from Selma to Montgomery which turned very violent, but they finally achieved their goal. -
Race Riots
Some African Americans turned violent because they wanted economic equality. Clashes between whites and African Americans that turned violent with killing involved. -
Black Panther Party
A political party to fight police brutality in the ghetto. They advocated self sufficiency for African American communities and full employment with decent housing. They also preached self defense, dressed in all black, and many used illegal tactics.
