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May 18, 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson
The U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld the racist policy of segregation by legalizing “separate but equal” facilities for blacks and whites. -
May 17, 1954 Brown v. Board of Education
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimous decision that overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine in public schools. -
August 28, 1955 Emmett Till killed
Emmett Till was murdered in Money, Mississippi. -
December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks Arrested
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery City Bus and was arrested. -
December 5, 1955 Bus Boycotts
The Montgomery Bus Boycott begins. -
September 23, 1957 Little Rock 9
The Little Rock 9 enter Central High School as federal troops oversee the situation sent by President Eisenhower. -
February 1, 1960 Woolworth's store protest
4 black college students sat at an all-white lunch counter and started a sit-in protest at a Woolworth’s store. -
May 4, 1961 Freedom riders
Freedom riders begin a bus ride through the South to protest segregation. -
September 30, 1962 Mississippi Riot
Mississippi Riot - Learn how the state of Mississippi rallied against a federal court's decision to allow one black man to attend an all white school.
James H. Meredith - This man was a crucial figure in the American Civil rights movement. By having a federal court approve his case to attend an all white school in Mississippi, riots broke out and in turn paved the way for equality in the US. -
April 12, 1963 MLK Arrested
Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham protesting in the “most segregated city in America.” -
August 28, 1963 March on Washington
More than 250,000 people, march on Washington to demand immediate passage of the civil rights bill. -
1964 – Freedom Summer
In the summer of l964, forty-one Freedom Schools opened in the churches, on the back porches, and under the trees of Mississippi.
Mississippi Freedom Summer (Summer Project) Events -
July 2, 1964 LBJ signs Civil Rights law
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the premier legislation for Civil Rights into law. -
March 7, 1965 Selma March
A march from Selma to Montgomery to fight for voting rights begins. -
August 6, 1965 Voting Rights
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law outlawing literacy tests. -
October 15, 1966 Black Panthers Created
Huey Newton & Bobby Seale founded the “Black Power” political group known as the Black Panthers. -
April 4, 1968 MLK assassinated
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis.
