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Brown V. Board of Education
On May 17th, 1954 Oliver Brown went to court to sue the Board of Education. He felt that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional and violated the equal protection clause created by the fourteenth amendment. The court agreed with Brown and decided that having separate educational facilities for different races was unequal. -
Montgomery Mus Boycott
Starting in December of 1955, African Americans in the south wanted to negotiate with city leaders to end segregation. As a way to detest segregation laws, they refused to ride buses until they were unsegregated. The leader of this boycott was Martin Luther King Jr. This lasted for a whole year and ended in December of 1956. -
Little Rock 9
Nine African Americans students were allowed to attend public school in Little Rock, Arkansas. The governor wouldn't allow this and sent national guard troops to stop the nine students from entering the school. Eventually, President Eisenhower got involved and sent army troops to help the students. He also federalized the Arkansas national guard. -
The Sit-In Movement
Four students enrolled at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College were denied the ability to order food from the whites only lunch counter. This upset them so they decided to sit at the lunch counter until they were served. These students were David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr, and Joseph McNeil. They ended up sitting at the counter all night. -
Freedom Rider
Due to the south's refusal to integrate bus terminals, over four hundred civil rights activists decided to protest. They interstate rode buses into segregated areas. As a result, they were attacked and beaten up and a bus was set on fire. This movement lasted for a little over six months. A law was put into place to integrate interstate travel. -
James Meredith and the Desegregation of Southern Universities
An African American air force veteran named James Meredith applied to transfer to University of Mississippi. He was denied because of the color of his skin. A court ordered the school to allow him to attend but they still wouldn't let him. President JFK had 500 federal marshals come to the school and escort him around campus to ensure his safety and make sure he wouldn't be denied entrance again. -
The March On Washington
In August of 1963, 200,000 civil rights activists began protesting on Washington. Lead by Martin Luther King Jr, they marched for the whole day and protested for economic and civil rights for African Americans in the United States. This is where MLK gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. The bill passed in response to this protest was the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This bill ended segregation in public places. -
Voter Registration Among Minorities
There were many issues with voting and minorities in the 1960s. They had to pay poll taxes in order to vote. The Selma March happened as a result of these issues. At this march, Sheriff Jim Clark and other armed citizens attacked the people marching and over 2,000 of the protesters were arrested. The Voting Act of 1965 was passed as a way to suspend discriminatory devices used and allow the U.S attorney general to send federal examiners to register qualified voters. -
Urban Problems and The Black Panthers
Many African Americans living in so-called urban areas faced poverty. The areas were overcrowded and dirty. Unemployment was high and for those who did have jobs, they weren't making much money. A group called the Black Panthers started a revolution as a way to end racial oppression. They also wanted control of major institutions in the African American communities back. -
Malcom X and the Civil Rights Movement
Malcom X felt that the Civil Rights Movement was going to slow and change needed to happen fast. He believed in black nationalism. He was apart of the Black Muslims and the Nation of Islam but eventually broke ties with them. He criticized the organization and was shot and killed for the things he said. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s came to an end around 1968.
