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Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks had refused to give up her seat in the front of the bus to a white man, resulting in a fine and her arrest. Four days later, the blacks began boycotting public busing for a time period of 381 days. In November 1956, the Supreme Court ruled the segregation of races on buses unconstitutional. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
This act was created for the purpose of protecting the right for African Americans to vote. Johnson made a compromise with several Southern senators that would bring the power of federal government into the civil rights debate, as well as create a civil rights division within the Department of Justice. In addition, the USC was created to investigate any allegations of the denial of voting rights. -
Little Rock 9
In September 1957, the school board of Little Rock, Arkansas had won a court order which would allow nine black students to attend Central High School, which had a population of 2,000 white students. Orval Faubus, the governor of Arkansas, wanted to prevent the students from attending the high school since he held the ideals of white supremacy. Troops from the National Guardwere ordered by Faubus to block the students from entering the school. -
The Sit-In Movement
Four young African Americans planned to do a sit-in at the whites only lunch counter at Woolworth's. The students purchased school supplies and sat at the counter to order coffee when they were denied service. The students would further sit at the counter every day until they were allowed the same customer service as whites. -
The Freedom Riders
CORE leader James Farmer asked a team of African Americans and white volunteers to travel to the South to bring attention to the South's refusal to integrate bus terminals. The first buses to arrive in Birmingham, Anniston, and Montgomery were attacked by angry white mobs. -
James Meredith and the Desegregation of the University of Mississippi
Meredith, an African American Air Force veteran, applied to transfer to the University of Mississippi. Ross Barnett, the governor of Mississippi, had denied his access through the administration office. Kennedy became frustrated, and had asked 500 federal marshals to escort Meredith on campus. Angry white mobs erupted and attacked, hurling rocks, bottles, bricks, and even acid at the marshals. Shots were fired as well. For the rest of the year, Meredith attended classes under federal guard. -
Protests in Birmingham
The events of Mississippi had upset Dr. King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders. In response, King would launch demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama. He had thought it would be the only way to get President Kennedy to support civil rights. Eight days after the protest, King was arrested. While in prison, King wrote the "Letter from Birmingham Jail," which was one of the most eloquent device of nonviolent protest ever written. -
The March on Washington
More than 200,000 demonstrators representing several races had marched to the nation's capital. The audience had gathered near Lincoln Memorial, listening to speeches and singing songs and hymns. It was here where Dr. King, Jr. had delivered his famous "I Have A Dream" speech. This event had built momentum towards the development of the civil rights bill. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Acct of 1964 was the most comprehensive civil rights act law ever enacted. The act gave the federal government broad power to prevent racial discrimination in a number of areas. Segregation had become illegal in most public places, giving citizens of all races and nationalities equal access to public facilities. The law had also enabled more power for the U.S. attorney general more power for lawsuits for unfair treatments in schools, as well as establish the EEOC. -
The Selma March
As the protestors began their march towards the Edmund Pettus Bridge, more than 200 state troopers and deputized citizens had began to rush them out. 70 African Americans were hospitalized and many more were left injured. This televised attack soon became known as "Bloody Sunday". -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The act authorized the U.S. attorney general to send federal examiners to register qualified voters, which would bypass the local officials that refused to register African Americans. The law had also suspended discriminatory devices. By the end of the year, almost 250,000 African Americans were registered as new voters. The number of African American elected officials had increased as well. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
King had traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to support a strike of African American sanitation workers. As King stood on the balcony of his hotel, he was shot by a sniper. The death of Dr. King had set national mourning and riots in more than 100 cities.
