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13th Amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, -
14th Amendment
The 14th amendment is a very important amendment that defines what it means to be a US citizen and protects certain rights of the people. -
15th Amendment
African American men the right to vote by declaring that the "right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." -
Plessy vs. Feguson
A landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court issued in 1896. It upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws for public facilities as long as the segregated facilities were equal in quality – a doctrine that came to be known as "separate but equal". -
Mendez vs. Westminster School District of Orange County
"The equal protection of the laws pertaining to the public school system in California is not provided by furnishing in separate schools the same technical facilities, textbooks and courses of instruction to children of Mexican ancestry that are available to the other public school children regardless of their ancestry. A paramount requisite in the American system of public education is social equality. It must be open to all children by unified school association regardless of lineage." -
Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. -
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Civil Rights Movements
The civil rights movement was a decades-long movement with the goal of securing legal rights for African Americans that other Americans already held. -
USSR Tests Hydrogen Bomb
The Soviet Union fires a 50-megaton hydrogen bomb, the biggest explosion in history. -
"Hot-Line" Phones Installed
A pair of "hot line" phones are installed in the Oval Office and Kremlin, a direct result of the prior year's crisis in Cuba. -
Kennedy Assassinated
President John F. Kennedy is shot and killed in Dallas, Texas. Lyndon Johnson is quick sworn in as President. -
Democrats Hire Ad Agency
Democrats hire a top-10 ad agency for the '64 campaign. Agency produces a number of hard-hitting spots, including the "Daisy Ad". -
Johnson Defeats Goldwater
Receiving more than 60 percent of the popular vote, incumbent Democrat Lyndon Johnson easily defeats Republican Barry Goldwater. During the campaign, Goldwater is an overt hawk regarding the war in Vietnam, while Johnson takes a sharply contrasting stance, suggesting de-escalation. In fact, the war escalates dramatically during the next 4 years of Johnson's administration. -
Johnson Signs Medicare Bill
The legislation establishes a health program for the elderly. -
Voting Rights Act
No more discrimination at the poles. -
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Violence Scars Convention in Chicago
Turmoil and Robert Kennedy's death push the party toward chaos, while anti-war demonstrators are beaten by police. Prominent activists are charged with inciting the riots. -
Richard Nixon Wins Presidency
Running on a platform of "law and order," Republican Richard Nixon and running mate Spiro Agnew narrowly defeat incumbent Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Nixon receives 43.4% of the popular vote, just seven-tenths of 1% more than Humphrey. Third-party segregationist candidate George Wallace receives about 15 percent of the popular vote. Nixon wins a second term in 1972, and resigns from office in 1974.