-
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was an African American civil rights organization. It was founded in 1909, but took effect in 1940 when the defense fund was founded by Thurgood Marshall. Marshall understood the effect that discrimination had on a student's education. This group attacked the "seperate but equal" concept and various other topics concerning African American's education. -
Gandhi's Tactics
Majority of the tactics used in the civil rights movement were based off of Mohandis Gandhi's teachings. If African Americans used violence they would be harshly punished, so they turned to these nonviolent approach to get their point across. People such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Jams Farmer also shared Ganhi's views. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education was a case in which the Court declared state laws that had separate public schools for African Americans and whites was in fact unconstitutional. When the issue of school segregation was brought to the Supreme Court's attention by the NAACP. Research showed them that segregation had the ability to harm the self-image of the students. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
In Montgomery, Alabama Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus. This decision set in motion a boycott, which led to the creation of groups such as the Montgomery Improvement Association. Despite being threatened and targeted, these groups began organizing more nonviolent actions. -
The Birth of SCLC
The Montgomery bus boycott had a huge influence on the formation of groups like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SNCL). Martin Luther King was elected the leader of this group, and it was heavily influenced by Christian faith. However, it welcomed all races and faiths. -
Little Rock Nine
In 1957, Governor Orval Faubus violated a federal court order to integrate Central High chool in Little Rock, Arkansas. He ordered the Arkansas National Guard to stop this because he was sure that "blood would run in the streets" if they were to follow through. When President Eisenhower stepped in, these students were escorted to their classroom by U.S. soldiers -
Protesters in Greensboro, North Carolina
On this day, four African American college students stayed in their seats after being denied service due to their race. Despite the arrests and the violence, this movement successfully spread sit-in tactics and got business owners to change their policies. -
Freedom Riders
Members of CORE believed that the sit-in tactics woked so well that they wanted to start another action. At each bus stop, African Americans would try to use whites only facilities and lunch counters. When they reached Birmingham they were severely beaten and attacked. Eventually, the bus company stopped selling them tickets. -
The Albany Movement
The Albany movement was a protest against racial-segregation that the SNCC and NAACP organized. This coalition was in motion and people such as Martin Luther King assisted with nonviolent protesting ideas. However, he was arrested for leading a march on city hall and agreed to stay there until the city desegregated. -
Medgar Evers
Medgar Evers was the head of the NAACP in Mississippi and was murders by a KKK member named Byron De La Beckwith. The police quickly arrested Beckwith, but the juries failed to reach a verdict and he was set free. In 1994, Beckwith was finally convicted and sentenced to life in prison. -
The March on Washington
The March on Washington was the largest civil rights demonstation ever held in the United States.The National Mall was filled with more than 200,000 people of various different races. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his final speech there, known as "I Have A Dream" -
Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer was an organization design to help Southern African American families. Volunteers were trained to help register African American voters or teach at a summer school to prepare them. Project workers also hoped to start a freedom movement in Mississippi that would continue after the volunteers left. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
On July 2nd, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed and signed into law. The Civil Rights Act banned discrimination in public, outlawed unequal voting requirements, and established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This act also applied federal power to speed integration of schools and other public facilities. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed in Congress by large majorities and it allowed African Americans to vote. In response to this act, the 24th Amendment was passed in order to ban states from taxing citizens to vote because many Southern states required poll taxes. -
Civil Rights Act of 1968
On April 11, the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act, was passed. This act was designed to ban racial discrimination in the sale, rental, or financing or housing. It also made harming civil rights workers a federal crime.
