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Greensboro Sit-In
On February 1, 1960, four African-American men were denied service at a lunch counter at Woolworth's in Greensboro. They refused to leave their seats. The police were called but could not arrest them because there was no provocation. They stayed at the counter until Wooworth's closed, and returned the next day alongside more people. Their sit in sparked more sit-ins across the country and brought awareness to the Civil Rights Movement. -
Birth Control Pill Approved by FDA
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First Televised Presidential Debate
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Equal Pay Act Passed
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Abington School District v. Schempp
Abington v. Schempp was a Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that mandating prayer or Bible readings in a public school (which was Pennsylvania law at the time) was unconstitutional. The ruling meant that religious minorities and atheists did not have to participate in or sit through Christian religious practices at school. Due to the fact that public schools are run by the government, public school systems cannot favor any one religion. -
March on Washington/"I Have a Dream" Speech
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Civil Rights Act Signed
Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law in July of 1964. It ended segregation and made "discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin" illegal. discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The bill was a huge change as it effectively marked a new period in America without segregation, and a country more willing to accept people no matter what their race was. -
University of Michigan Teach-in
The first teach-in was held at the University of Michigan from the night of March 24, to the morning of March 25, 1965. The teach-in was a series of anti-war seminars held by faculty and attended by students to protest the Vietnam War. The teach-in was also reflective of a growing national anti-war movement that opposed United States involvement in Vietnam and the use of the draft for the Vietnam War. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965 Signed
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Thurgood Marshall Sworn Into Office
Thurgood Marshall was the first African-American Supreme Court justice. His confirmation showed progress towards racial equality in America. Just a few years before, segregation was legal, and now an African-American man was a justice on the highest court in the United States. -
Tinker v. Des Moines Case Decided
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Stonewall Riots
The Stonewall Riots occurred when police raided a Mafia-run gay bar in New York City. At the time, being gay was illegal in 49 states and wearing 'non gender-appropriate' clothing was also illegal. When police tried to arrest some of the people at the bar, they refused or fought against the police, sparking a riot. The riots lasted for multiple days and is regarded as the first gay rights event in the United States.
