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The Beginning: Plessy V. Ferguson
Before the eruption of the fireball that was the Civil Rights Movement, there had to be a spark. The Homer A. Plessy v. John H. Ferguson case was that spark.
The Plessy v. Ferguson case was a case in the late 1800's that made its way into the Supreme Court because of all the public appeal surrounding it. After it was taken up by the Supreme Court, the Court decided against Plessy and created a system of Segregation called Seperate But Equal, which became the basis of the Movement. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Brown v, Board of Education case is considered the beginning of the Modern Civil Rights Movement. The case involved a young girl who had to walk many miles to get to her all black school, when she lived only blocks away from a segregated all white school. The decision changed America and removed Seperate But Equal. This legally integrated the school systems of the United States. It didn't take into effect until much later however, and was used as a reason to create the Sibley Committee. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott started four days after Rosa Parks got arrested for refusing to give her seat to a white man. It's goal was to desegregate and protest the unfair seating arrangments on public buses. During the boycott, instead of taking buses, many African-Americans found other modes of transportation to make sure that bus companies made little to no money. It started on December 5, 1955, and lasted for 381 days. Eventually, the bus systems of Montgomery were finally integrated. -
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The SCLC was a group of people established to further aid the Civil Rights Movement by way of peaceful protest. It was created after victory was achieved after the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Its first leader was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, known as the president of the organization. -
The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee
The SNCC was a student led organization that had a goal similar to the SCLC, except that they believed that they should also be focusing on other social changes, and viewed MLK's non-violent approach as more of a peaceful tactic than a way of life. They were known for their small-scale protests like sit-ins at lunch counters, and it eventually led to the integration of the Woolworth lunch counter. Some notable leaders of the SNCC include Stokely Carmichael and Charles F. McDew. -
UGA: Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes
Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes were two exceptionally talented students that were approached by a group of Civil Rights leaders that wanted them to integrate the University of Georgia. They agreed, and after admitting and being denied, they continued to apply while their lawyers fought the legal battle of getting the school to accept them. On January 6,1961, they were finally allowed to attend UGA, and became the first African-American students in the school. -
Freedom Riders
Freedom Riders were groups of people that protested bus systems. They would go along bus routes, and African-American riders would use white only facilities, and white riders would use black only. While this caused many violent scenes, it brought international attention to the cause, and it eventually brought integration to bus and train systems throughout the country. -
The Albany Movement
The Albany Movement was a large-scale protest focused on the integration of the the entire city. It was started by three SCLC members, and it eventually branched off to thousands of African-Americans all protesting in the city for several months. Major violent actions were operated on the protestors, and eventually, the movement died down, and the leaders of the Movement, admitted defeat. The experience gained by MLK helped him to carry out the movement, in Birmingham, Alabama later. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington was a crucial event that occured in the Civil Rights Movement. Many civil rights leaders and organizations collaborated and created this event, where a large group of people marched to Washington and met up in front of the Lincoln Monument and Washington Monument for a day of rejoice and protest. About 250,000 Americans gathered that day, and that is the day that MLK gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act was one of the most important documents for the Civil Rights Movement. It was the result of the entire movement, and granted many freedoms to African-Americans. It ended segregation once and for all, and gave most of the same rights of White Americans to Blacks. It did not, however, completely satisfy the movement. There were still some freedoms not accounted for, which caused the movement to continue, but the movement had almost reached its ultimate objective. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
On March 7, 1965, a peaceful march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery was met by state troopers who attacked the marchers with physical and chemical weapons. It was televised on national television, and there was a huge outburst of rage from citizens around the U.S. This event prompted Lyndon B. Johnson to sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into effect, as he believed that what the government officials in government were doing to African-Americans were not right. -
The Assassination of Martin Luther King
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4th, 1968. This was the end of the work he had done for the Civil Rights Movement. His work was vital to the Civil Rights Movement, from his time in the SCLC, to his arrangement and participation of events such as the Albany Movement and the March on Washington. He paved the way for others to aid in the Movement, and with their help,made sure they fulfilled their objective of having their freedom through documents such as the Civil Rights Act.
