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Murder of Emmett Till
14 year old boy, Emmett Till was murdered on August. 28, 1955. Once word got out of his murder, it helped galvanize the rise of the Civil Rights Movement. His death was a source of outrage and indignation concerning thousand's of nationwide activists. Emmett Till's death cause a commotion nation wide. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks incited a revolution in 1955 by refusing to stand when asked to by the bus driver. He wanted her to move from the first row of the "colored section" and she denied. Her arrest lead to many blacks refusing to take any type of transportation afterwards. Blacks boycotted buses and instead found another way to get from one place to another. This had a major impact on the economy. -
Little Rock Crisis
In September 2, nine brave black Arkansas teenagers broke through racial barriers to become the first black students. This got some people angry and later that afternoon an angry mob appeared and the nine students were forced to leave while being escorted by soldiers. This had a constitutional crisis unfold, which later on helped lead to standard bearers for a Civil Rights movement that helped change the nation. -
Greensboro (NC) sit-in
The Greensboro sit-ins were an instrumental action, and also the most well-known sit-ins of the Civil Rights Movement. These sit-ins led to increased national sentiment at a crucial period in US history time as well as achieving the desegregation in some places like lunch counters and other public places. Greensboro sit-ins also helped demostrate that mass nonviolent direct action could be accomplished. This brought tremendous national media attention to the new era and its problems. -
Freedom Riders
Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States in 1961 to challenge Jim Crow laws by riding in mixed racial groups. They confronted local laws or customs that enforced segregation in seating. Freedom Riders and the violent reactions they provoked, supported the credibility of the American Civil Rights Movement, and also called national attention to the disregard for federal law and the local violence used to enforce segregation. -
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King wrote his famous Letter from Birmingham from his jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama. His letter held so much power within his words that our country as well as many citizens were touched by it. This letter was seen as the spark of the Civil Rights movement, impacting people by giving them hope and stimulating them to support African American Rights. Without King's letter, Civil Rights movement could have taken longer to have effect. -
Medgar Evers Murdered
African American Civil Rights leader, Medgar Evers, was shot to death by a white supremacist, Byron De La Beckwith. The national outrage over Evers murder helped increase the supoport for legislation, which would soon become the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
16th Street Bombing (Birmingham, Al)
In September 15 1963, the deadliest act of violence to take place during the Civil Movement occurred, killing four young black girls. This shocked the nation evoking criticism and outrage around the world. Outrage over the incident and violent clashes between protesters and police occured as well. This drew a nationwide attention to the hard fought, and often dangerous struggle for Civil Rights for African Americans. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
After many yesrs of struggle and setbacks, the pasage of sweeping legislation that prohibited racial discrimination was finally passed. The struggle against racism and segregation had finally been brought to its knees. -
MLK Assassinated
Martin Luther King's assassination on April 4 1968, while was standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennesse, lead to the greatest Civil disturbance, which swept the United State of it's feet. It also lead to an outpouring of anger among black Americans and a national mourning period. This reaction caused physical damage and had a politcal turning point.
