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Executive order 9981
President Harry S. Truman issued the executive order 9981, which ended segregation in the military. African americans were a part of the military sinc e the Revolutionary War , but they were always put in different groups or not given the same chances as a white man. This order was important because it was the first time African americans were given equal opportunities in the military. -
Brown v. Topeka Board of Education
In this time period there were a lot of segregated public schools. Forcing African american kids to go to seperate schools even if those schools were far away. In 1954 the NAACP lawyers brought these cases to the supreme court. The Supreme Court said it violated the 14th amendment, meaning the segregation of schools is not good, it's not fair. This is important because it helped bring this problem of segregation to the public eye, and get the attention of many to regard this problem. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
After Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat to a white man on the bus many people rose up to boycott the bus transportation system. African Americans refused to ride the bus as a form of protest, and since a lot of African americans rode the bus, the bus business immediately went down. This was the first time a form of peaceful protest took place, and involved many people to collaborate. The first protest that then started the rest. -
Little Rock
After the Supreme court ruled that segregated schools was unconstitutional. A group of African American students decided to test this and enrolled in a white school. They were stopped from entering the school by the State guards. Later President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent federal troops to escort the students into the school. This was important because it meant the federal government was serious about enforcing these laws as any other normal law. -
Greensboro (NC) Sit-in
This sit in was first started by four African american men as a non violent protest against Woolworth's segregated policies. After this many other people started doing the same thing as a sign of protest for them be granted the right to customer service. This was important because it caught the attention of the media which made more people find out about these non violent protests making them take a part of these peaceful protests. -
George Wallace & The University of Alabama
George Wallace was elected Governor and with his power he tried to block African american students from entering the University. President John F. Kennedy then sent the federal troops to enforce desegregation. This once again proved that desegregation of schools was mandatory not just an option. -
March on Washington
On this day in August more than 200,000 Americans joined together and took a march to Washington. Where Martin Luther King said his famous "I Have a dream" speech. This event was important because it helped spread awareness of the the unfair treament African Americans were experiencing at the time. While Luther King's speech called for equality and helped spread an idea of hope. -
16th Street bombing
As racial tensions grew, more violent acts kept emerging, for example the 16th Street Baptist Church explosion. Four girls died in this explosion and twenty others were injured. This only stirred up protesters and created a greater hatred between whites and blacks. This event was a reminder of what African americans faced and all the threats they received from fighting for their Civil rights. -
Selma March
Martin Luther King Jr led the Selma march. The march was from Selma Alabama to Montgomery. It was not an easy three day march they kept being harassed and treated violently along the way. This had an affect in the Civil rights movement because it helped raise awareness on unfair treatments and barriers regarding voting. A year after the Selma march the Voting Rights act was passed. -
MLK assassinated
Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in Memphis Tennessee. He was shot standing from the second floor of a motel he was staying in. HIs assassination only fueled civil rights protesters to keep fighting for equality even more. Seeing all the unfair treatment and the killing of an innocent man, meant it had to stop.
