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Jim Crow Laws
The Jim Crow Laws were part of a system that segregated almost everything between blacks and whites. They are the main reason the civil rights movement occurred. -
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, was founded in response to lynchings and riots in 1909. It worked against lynching and segregation in the 20th century and is still together today.
http://www.naacp.org/pages/naacp-history -
Malcolm X
Malcolm X was a civil rights leader who believed in achieving equality through any means, even violence. His beliefs were quite different than MLK's beliefs, even though their desired results were the same. He was part of the Nation of Islam.
http://www.biography.com/people/malcolm-x-9396195 -
Martin Luther King, Jr.
MLK was born in 1929. He was the leader of the SCLC and was an extremely prominent leader and activist in the civil rights movement. He was assassinated in 1968.
http://www.biography.com/people/martin-luther-king-jr-9365086#synopsis -
Black Power and Stokely Carmichael
Stokely Carmichael was a civil rights activist who believed in black power and disagreed with nonviolence tactics toward the end of his career. As the leader of the SNCC for a time, he had influence on a large part of the civil rights movement. "Black power" became very popular.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/stokely-carmichael -
The Black Panthers and Huey Newton
In 1966, Newton co-founded the Black Panther Party for Self Defense with Bobby Seale. The Black Panther Party was militaristic. It was a violent group that clashed with police over police brutality. Newton was arrested several times after forming the Party.
http://www.biography.com/people/huey-p-newton-37369#synopsis -
CORE
The Congress of Racial Equality, or CORE, was founded in 1942. It was a leading civil rights organization. CORE helped the SNCC create the Freedom Rides, which tried to desegregate public facilities. Also similar to the SNCC, it started as a nonviolent organization but slowly shifted away from that.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/congress-of-racial-equality -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education got to the Supreme Court in 1952. It dealt with segregation within the school system. The final decision on May 14, 1954 was that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
http://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/history-brown-v-board-education-re-enactment -
SCLC
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference dates back to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Leaders of the civil rights movement met to organize specific movements.
http://sclcnational.org/our-history/ -
Little Rock Nine
At a previously all-white school, nine African Americans were banned from entering the school by the Arkansas National Guard. Federal troops were sent later in the month to allow the students to begin school.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/central-high-school-integration -
Greensboro Woolworth Sit-in
In 1960, four college students sat at the counter at a Woolworth's restaurant and asked for service but were asked to leave. They refused, helping lead to more challenges of racial inequality.
http://americanhistory.si.edu/brown/history/6-legacy/freedom-struggle-2.html -
SNCC
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, was formed in 1960 to help students take part in nonviolent acts to stop segregation. The organization helped hold many of these events until a new leader led to its destruction.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/sncc -
John F. Kennedy's Role in the Civil Rights Movement
Kennedy was popular among African American voters. He brought a lot of African Americans into the administration. Kennedy was slow to act towards the civil rights movement, but he did eventually assist, specifically with James Meredith and the Little Rock Nine. He used the armed forces to enforce civil equality many other times, too. -
24th Amendment
The 24th Amendment, passed in August, 1962, banned poll taxes. Poll taxes made it difficult for low-income families, including many African Americans, to vote. After this amendment was passed, African Americans could vote more easily.
http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/37045 -
James Meredith and Ole Miss
In 1962, James Meredith tried to enroll at the University of Mississippi. There were riots, leaving two people dead and many wounded. The National Guard had to be called in to stop the riots.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/ole-miss-integration -
Lyndon B. Johnson's Role in the Civil Rights Movement
Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 after John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It was the biggest legislation dealing with Civil Rights since after the Civil War. The Voting Rights act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 were also passed during his presidency.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/07/02/day-history-president-lyndon-b-johnson-signed-civil-rights-act-1964 -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation in public places and the workplace. It is one of the most effective events in the civil rights movement.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-act -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act made it easier for African Americans to vote because it abolished literacy tests along with allowing federal oversight and investigation into poll taxes.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/voting-rights-act -
Kerner Commission
The Kerner Commission report stated that white racism was to blame for increasing riots. It also said that unless large precautions were taken, the riots would continue. The Commission was appointed by president Johnson to try to stop riots. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
While standing on a balcony, King was shot by James Earl Ray. He was 39 years old. Some people took the assassination to heart and became more radicalized.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr-assassination
