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President Truman signs Executive Order 9981 which states that every person in the armed forces should be treated equally and given the same opportunities.
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The Supreme Court rules that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.
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In Montgomery,Al, Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat to a white passenger and is arrested. This event started a year long bus boycott by the black community.
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Nine students become the first black students to attend the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
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In Birmingham,Al, Martin Luther King is arrested and put in jail during an anti-segregation protest.
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In Washington,DC, about 200,000 people gather at the Lincoln Memorial and Martin Luther King delivers his famous speech, I Have a Dream
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The 24th Amendment abolishes the poll tax which made it difficult for poor blacks to vote.
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President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits all forms of discrimination.
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Congress passes the Voting Rights Act which made it easier for Southern blacks to vote.
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President Johnson issues Executive Order 11246 which enforces Affirmative Action.
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In Memphis,TN, Martin Luther King is shot while standing on his hotel room balcony. James Earl Ray is convicted of his murder.
