Reconstruction acts are passed gaurenteeing the civil rights of freed slaves
Fifteenth Amendment is passed giving blacks the right to vote
Plessy v. Ferguson: Supreme Court decision holds that racial segregation is constitutional, paving the way for the repressive Jim Crow laws in the South
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is founded in New York
Jackie Robinson breaks color barrier in baseball
Brown vs, Board of Education declares segregation unconsititutional
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat
The Little Rock Nine go to school
Four black students stage a sit in at a lunch counter, 6 months later they are finally served lunch
Martin Luther King recieves Nobel Peice Prize
Martin Luther King assassinated
Colin Powell becomes the first African American secretary of state
Halle Berry becomes first African American actress to win an Oscar for Best Actress