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Brown v. Board of Education
In a landmark decision, the US Supreme Court rules that it is unconstitutional to racially segregate public schools, regardless of whether the schools are otherwise equal in quality. This set a precedent for desegregation of the United States, and enabled millions of African American children, as well as future generations of African American children, to access education, which further enabled the African American community to enter into previously inaccessible professions and positions. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Regarded as the first large scale protest against racial segregation in the US, the Montgomery Bus Boycott was year-long boycott of the Montgomery bus system. It was initiated in the aftermath of the arrest of Rosa Parks, who had refused to give up her seat to a white man, which was expected of her under the segregation policy of the bus system at the time. The movement amassed a great deal of support, and culminated in the desegregation of the bus system by the supreme court. -
Little Rock Nine
Following the Brown v. Board of Education ruling by the US Supreme Court, nine students known as the "Little Rock Nine" attempted to enter a newly integrated school in Arkansas. They were blocked by Governer Faubus, who mobilised the Arkansas National Guard to block their entry. In response, President Eisenhower sended the 101st Airborne Division to escort the schoolchildren. The event indicated an important shift towards the desegregation of the United States. -
Stand in the Schoolhouse Door
Despite it being ruled two years earlier that schools must be integrated, the University of Alabama had rejected every African American applicant. In 1963, however, the court ordered that three African American students be admitted. Alabama Governor George Wallace stood in the doorway to the University to block two of those students from entry. President Kennedy, in response, mobilised the National Guard to escort the students. Following, President Kennedy delivered a speech on civil rights. -
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
Led by A. Philip Randolph and Martin Luther King, 250,000 African Americans gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC to highlight continuing challenges and inequalities faced by African Americans even a century after emancipation. It was at this event that King gave his famous speech, "I Have a Dream". Following the march, the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act were enacted. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Hugely influential clergyman and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot on a balcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. The suspected assassin, James Earl Ray, was charged with murder. Following, President Lyndon B. Johnson made a personal phone call to King's wife, Coretta Scott King, and declared a national day of mourning where the flag would be flown at half-staff. In outrage, there were a great number of riots following the assassination.