-
Executive Order 9981
President Truman issued the Executive Order 9981 to establish equality of treatment and opportunity in the Armed Services. The Executive Order forbade discriminating against military personnel because of race, color, religion, or national origin. It was important because it led to the end of segregation in the services. -
Brown v. Topeka Board of Education
In the case of Brown v. Board a team of NAACP lawyers argued that segregation of black children in public schools was unconstitutional because it violated the 14th Amendment's guarantee of "equal protection of the law". The Supreme Court agreed and overturned the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision, which allowed for "separate but equal" public facilities(including schools). The decision declared separate educational facilities "unequal" and called to an end of segregation in schools. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was started by Rosa Parks' arrest for refusing to move to the section of a bus reserved for colored people. African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, AL, to protest segregated seating. The boycott proved nonviolent protests to be effective when in 1956, the US Supreme Court declared that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional, and the boycott ended. -
Little Rock Crisis
As a result of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, 9 African-American students enrolled at Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Governor Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to surround Little Rock to keep the 9 students from entering the school. President Eisenhower ordered the 101st Airborne Division to insure the safety of the "Little Rock Nine" and uphold the rulings of the Supreme Court. The event was important because it helped end segregation in schools. -
SNCC
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee confronted southern segregation by the use of protests and youth-led nonviolent direct-action campaigns. It was formed after college students started a sit-in movementin Greensboro, NC for being denied service at a lunch counter.The SNCC was important because its protests helped integrate restaurants, hotels, buildings, libraries, pools, and transportation throughout the South. -
24th Amendment passes
The 24th amendment outlawed the poll tax as a requirement in federal elections. As a result of the poll tax, poor people were discouraged to vote. With the 24th ammendment however, any individual could vote without money being an issue. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was organized by a group of civil rights, labor, and religious organizations who wanted civil and economic rights for African Americans. The March on Washington helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and was where Dr.Martin Luther King Jr made his "I have a dream" speech. -
16th street bombing
The 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama served as a meeting place for civil rights leaders. Four African-American girls were killed and 17 were injured when a bomb exploded there. The incident was followed by outrage and violent clashes between protesters and police. The outcome drew national attention to the hard-fought struggle for civil rights for African Americans. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made segregation illegal in all public facilities, including hotels and restaurants, and gave the federal government additional powers to enforce school desegregation. The Act also set up the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to end racial discrimination in employment. The Act was important because services and employment could no longer be denied based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. -
Loving v. Virginia
Mildred, a black woman, and Richard Loving, a white man, were sentenced to a year in prison for marrying each other. Their marriage violated Virginia's Racial Integrity Act of 1924, which prohibited marriage between whites and blacks. The Supreme Court ruled that prohibiting and punishing marriage due to race violated the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the 14th Amendment. Because of the Loving v. Virginia ruling, interracial marriage became legal.
