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Civil Rights Timeline
American Civil Rights Movement -
13th amendment
The 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States Of America, which basically meant that slavery was not allowed in any state or territory under the government of the U.S.A. This gave Africans or colored people the freedom to become free and move out, from southern plantation farms, and being owned by other human beings. -
14th Amendment
The 14th amendment granted citizenship rights to Africans or people of colored also making them American citizens. Basically granted Civil Rights in the States as "all persons born or naturalized in the United States are subject to its laws and cannot be denied any of the rights and privilege's contained in the Constitution". -
15th Amendment
As the 14th amendment gave the authority to Africans to become citizens, the 15th amendment gave African Americans the right to vote, as citizens cannot be denied their right to vote because of their race or color or because they were once slaves. -
Tuskegee Institute Created
The Tuskegee Institute was the first institute in Alabama to train teachers to provide practical education for African Americans, in 1881, It was funded by Booker T Washington, a Hampton institute student who believed that education was needed and it was necessary, as Black people had to grow out from farming and learn new thing in other fields. The starting of empowering education for African Americans in America (starting of the civil rights movement). -
Plessy V. Ferguson
In the state of Louisiana, the government enacted a law "separate but equal" required separate railway cars for blacks and whites. In 1892, Homer Plessy: who was 1/8 black took a seat in a "whites only" car of a Louisiana train. When he was told to leave and go to the "black only", he refused and was arrested. When this was brought to the Supreme Court, they ruled "separate but equal" was constitutional. The case established the principle of segregation until it was overturned in 1954. -
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP Created)
The NAACP, or the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is a civil rights organization founded in 1909 to fight prejudice, lynching, and Jim Crow segregation, and to work for the betterment of "people of color. Through NAACP, ideas such as equality, came to light, and advocates of equality formed a group all around America supporting equality and empowerment of African Americans. -
19th Amendment
The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote, as the amendment states that "The right of citizens to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the US or by any State on account of sex". This increased the insight in women's to speak up for equal rights, which they did start to receive by being able to vote. Led to civil rights for women such as being able be educated. -
Truman's Desegregation of The Military
Harry Truman (33rd president of USA), led USA to victory during the ww2, however he was quite racist, and intolerant towards Asian people. However in order to obtain victory at the ww2, he decided to issue an executive order in 1948 ending segregation in the military. This led to the beginning of the end of segregation, as military service was a source of pride for blacks because it symbolized their freedom. However even after the war, many Africans were treated poorly and cruelly. -
Brown V Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, was a supreme court case which the Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. Since many like Linda Brown's father believed his daughter should not have to walk 21 blocks over dangerous railway past a Whites Only school to get the her Blacks only school that was disadvantaged. Desegregated schools, and also proved the Plessy V Ferguson unconstitutional. -
Emmett Till's Death
Emmett Till, a 14yrs old, African American boy from Chicago IL, went to Money, Mississippi with his cousin, Wheeler Parker, to harvest cotton in late August, however was murdered in Mississippi after allegedly flirting with a white woman(JW Milam) in an convenience store while he was buying candy. He was abducted from his great-uncle's house and beated him before shooting him and throwing him into a lake, his funeral was all over the news/viewed by 50k people. Start of civil rights movement -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery bus boycott was an act during the civil rights movement, since Rosa Parks was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus. Due to this Dr. Martin L. King led a boycott (political and social nonviolent protest against racial segregation on public transport) of city busses. After 11 months the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public transportation was illegal. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
The civil rights of 1957 was the first pieces of the federal legislation that the congress passed since Reconstruction following the American Civil War. The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was also showed Congress's support for the Supreme Court's Brown decisions. It was primarily a voting rights bill. -
Little Rock 9
On September 4th, 1958 A group of 9 African American students that enrolled at a all-white central high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. This angered many americans, but it brought international attention to the civil rights cause. However, on the first day of school, Governor Orval Faubus called in the state National guard to block the student's entry into the school. However, Eisenhower eventually sent federal troops to help escort the Little a Rock Nine into the school. -
Greensboro NC Sit-in’s
In 1960, 4 black students decided to desegregate the lunch counter in Woolworth's store, They staged a sit in which lasted several days, however by the 4th day, 300 students had joined the sit-in and by the end of the week the store had closed instead of being desegregated. This resulted with 810 towns in the southern states having desegregated public areas. (civil rights achievement through the nonviolence ideals.) -
Freedom Riders
The freedom riders were a group of northern idealists active in the civil rights movement, which consisted of both white and black people. These activists encountered enormous white violence in the form of beatings and firebombs.Due to this the Federal Government promised to enforce the desegregation of interstate buses and bus facilities. By Sep 1961, all signs of enforcing segregation was removed. This Demonstrated unity between civil rights organizations, and also united people (color/white). -
March On Washington "I have a dream speech"
In August 1963, civil rights leaders organized a massive rally in Washington to urge passage of President Kennedy's civil rights bill. The main part of this rally was when MLK Jr., gave his "I Have a Dream" speech to more than 200,000 marchers in front of the Lincoln Memorial. This rally was technically done to show support of the civil rights bill. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a federal law that authorized federal action against segregation in public accommodations, public facilities, and employment. The law was passed during a period of great strength for the civil rights movement, and President Lyndon Johnson persuaded many reluctant members of Congress to support the law. This basically banned segregation in business and public places, which was one of the main achievements of the civil rights movement. -
Voting Rights act of 1965
The voting rights act of 1965 invalidated the use of any test or device to deny the vote and authorized federal examiners to register voters in states that had disenfranchised blacks; as more blacks became politically active and elected black representatives. This empowered black people to take up political jobs and and services, that this encouraged greater social equality and decreasing the wealth and education gap amongst citizens of America. Resulted from March on Selena. -
Black Panthers
A political organization set up in the U.S in 1966 to fight for black rights: founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale began the black power movement throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Some accomplishments include Free breakfasts for schoolchildren (by 1969 the program feeded 10,000 black children every day. Free health clinics - by 1974, there were 200 free clinics across the USA treating 200,000 people a year. Highlighted the need for investment in treatments for sickle cell anemia -
MLK Assassination
On April 4th,1968, MLK Jr, was assassinated by James Earl Ray. Following the assassination of one of the prominent civil rights leader, violence and controversy broke out.However Senator RFK, a strong supporter for civil rights gave a speech announcing King's death and also said Americans didn't need segregation and violence, they needed loved towards one another. King's lifetime work as a civil rights activist changed America forever as his philosophy of non-violence is still influential today. -
American Indian Movement
The American Indian Movement was a Native American organization founded in 1968 to protest government policies and injustices suffered by Native Americans. The main purpose of this was to assimilate Native Indians to Us culture, and give them equal rights as any American citizen had. Due to this they even created schools for Native Indians, in which they Americanized the, destroying their native cultures and traditions. -
Cesar Chavez's Death
Cesar Chavez, originated from Arizona, but lived in California died on April 23, 1993. Chavez was an African American civil rights activist who fought for worker's rights and created an organization called the United Farm Workers of Americans to request pay and safe working conditions. He was also a man of non violence and utilized strikes as a method of protests. He died in his sleep but was an prominent member in the civil rights movement, who sought for better working conditions.