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Emancipation Proclamation Is Signed
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, intended to give freedom to the once enslaved Native Americans of the United States. This was the start of a slow movement that, sadly, would take over a century to fully bring a reality of racial equality. -
Plessy v. Ferguson Defeat
In the lost case of Plessy v. Ferguson, the infamous Jim Crow Laws were upheld further than what they already were at the time, when the plaintiff (white) decided to sit on the colored passenger car of a transport train. The arrest was one of the earliest protest acts, albeit this one with a single man acting alone, in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. -
Schools Ordered To Desegregate
After the ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, 1954, schools across the nation--including the southern states--were ordered to disengage segregationist activity and postings (think of the "WHITES ONLY" signs). -
Montgomery Bus Boycott Begins Its Run
Following the arrest of Rosa Parks, which sparked outrage amongst African-Americans, Martin Luther King Jr. organized the bus boycott that nearly brought Montgomery, Alabama's public transport network to a screeching halt. This was a protest to the segregation aboard said transportation mode, along with other modes of public transportation. -
Little Rock Crisis
After the desegregation drama behind the scenes, Governor Orval Faubus of Little Rock, Arkansas tried to deny nine black students access to Central High School, by means of slander, dirty politics and policy, and even a bit of blackmail. Eventually, the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army was called in to deal with the situation, which had escalated to the point of involving the Arkansas--on Faubus' side, unfortunately. -
John F. Kennedy Becomes President
It may not seem it, but let's look at why JFK's election almost directly affects the Civil Rights Movement: A change of president could result in either in increase of political support for the movement, or a decrease in support. Kennedy wanted to bring support to MLK Jr. and the movement, but would've lost support--and likely wouldn't have been elected--if he announced it as his top goal. Hence, not enough support was gained by African-Americans that were involved. -
Birmingham Children's March
It was, without a doubt, one of the most gripping Civil Rights protests in American history. On this day, hundreds of children skipped their classes to march along the streets of Birmingham, Alabama, only to be suppressed by racist policemen who had equipped themselves with extinguisher hoses that could knock bricks straight out of walls. Blacks and whites alike held fists clenched, and the former group, upon seeing such an event, raised their own voices for everyone's sakes. -
An Official Change For The Better
Effective as of date 7/2/1964, the Civil Rights Act forced the Jim Crow Laws of the south to a halt, banning separation of any group of US citizens, regardless of race, sex or ethnic background. It seemed, at long last, social equality for African-Americans was within fingertip's reach. -
Chaos Ensues In Watts, LA, California
This was one of the worst racially charged riots in US history. On the heels of the signing of the Voting Rights Act, signed by Lyndon Johnson, the predominantly African-American townspeople of Watts, Los Angeles clashed with white law enforcement in a devastating conflict that left thirty-four people dead on the ground of this concrete jungle, now among several cities to be plagued by racial riots across the United States of America. -
Martin Luther King Jr.: Assassinated
Four years after the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, tragedy struck: Martin Luther King Jr., standing upon a stage as he finished his speech to the public, was shot once by a racist white named James Earl Ray. This tragic loss of an icon and, now, legend shook the nation's racially divided public further, sparking riots that spread like a great wildfire. Only later did domestic segregation truly begin to disappear (Civil Rights Act of 1968).