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Brown v Board of Education
This was a court case over the segregation of schools. This was against the previous Plessy v Ferguson case. Thurgood Marshall proved to the court that separate was not equal and got the court to rule school segregation unconstitutional. -
Emmitt Till murder
Emmitt Till was a 14-year-old boy who was beaten to death. Two white men killed him because he whistled at a white woman. This event brought attention to the racial injustice and problems that the US had. -
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Montgomery Bus Boycotts
This was one of the first main demonstrations of peaceful protests. The black community boycotted the Montgomery bus system because of its segregation rules and as an act of protest against racial segregation. People walked to work or found other ways to avoid the busses for over a year. -
Little Rock 9
Little Rock 9 was a group of black students that attended the previously all-white Little Rock High School in Arkansas. This group of children faced a lot of challenges and protests from people who didn't want them to go to school. President Eisenhower brought in federal troops because by preventing the children from going to school, the governor was challenging the power of the federal government. -
Greensboro start date( Lunch Sit-ins)
The Lunch sit-ins were a form of peaceful protests where black people sat in the "whites-only" section of a diner. While the protesters were not served, they still made an impact. The dinners where they were didn't get as much service because they were blocking so many seats. -
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Freedom Bus Rides
The Freedom Bus Rides were a series of protests where students rode buses around to try and de-segregate bus stops. These people were met with a lot of violence and one of the busses was even fire-bombed. These protests were against the fac that the law from the supreme court was not being enforced. -
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Birmingham protests
The Birmingham protests were a series of protests in Birmingham Alabama. The objective of this was to bring awareness to the integration of African Americans in the area. The protests caught the attention of the median and event internationally because of the harshness against the protestors. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington was a mass gathering of people in Washington. The goal of this was to express the issues of the civil rights and equality of African Americans. One of the famous events of this march was MLK's famous "I have a Dream" speech. -
Freedom (Mississippi) Summer
The Freedom Summer was a movement of volunteers who were trying to register as many African-American voters as they could. This movement consisted of many protests and meetings in Mississippi. During the protests, people assumed that the media coverage would protect them. Three college students were murdered around the time of this event. -
Civil Rights Act 1964
The Civil Rights Act outlawed segregation in spaces open to the public like hotels and restaurants. It also stated that the Justice Department can enforce the laws. Lastly, the Act prohibited discrimination in employment by race or gender. -
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Selma Marches
The Selma Marches were the last main large non-violent protest of the Civil Rights Period. This event consisted of mass numbers of African Americans gathering together and walking down bridges. An important day in this march was "Bloody Sunday" which was a day where the local law enforcement beat up a group of protestors. This news increased the international pressure. The marches ultimately led to the creating of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was an act that prohibited literacy tests and poll taxes. This act also allowed federal registrars to register voters if states weren't following the Fifteenth Amendment. Lastly, this Act stated that the deal government had the power to take over polling.