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Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 1954
Brown v. the Board of education was a law case which took place on May 17, 1954 in the U.S. Supreme Court. The case was over whether segregation in schools was constitutional. The Supreme Court unanimously agreed(9-0) that segregation in schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment(all people in state get equal rights). of the U.S. Constitution. This case banned segregation in public facilities and is one most important cases in the courts history. This was a good start for equal rights. -
Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
On December 1, 1955 42-year-old Rosa Parks was riding a bus home. See was seated in the colored section. Some white men were standing. The bus driver demand Rosa Parks and a few other black people to give up their seats, Parks refused. She was arrested. Martin Luther King Jr heard about the incident and began a bus boycott involving the whole Montgomery African population. For 382 days of walking harassment and violence the case went to court. Public transportation segregation ended. -
Little Rock nine
On September 3, 1957 formerly segregated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas asked for Black volunteers to come. Nine Black students came (Little Rock Nine) but were met with a screaming mob and the Arkansas national guard. The nine students tried again two weeks later and made it inside the school but left for their safety because of violence. Then President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent federal troops to escort the nine students to and from class and brought attention to desegregation. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
On September 9, 1957 President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 law. This law was the first major civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. The law made anyone who tried to prevent someone of voting be federally prosecuted and it created a commission to investigate voter fraud. -
Greensboro Sit-in
On February 1, 1960, 4 students(Ezell Blair, Jr, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and David Richmond) went into a Woolworth’s general store and bought a few items and sat at the lunch counter where only Whites were allowed. The counter manager refused to serve them then called the police who couldn't do anything. The 4 returned the next day with 50 other black students and were met with protesters.. Then sit ins happened nationwide and dining facilities in the south were integrated. -
Freedom rides
On May 4, 1961, 7 blacks and 6 whites left Washington D.C. for New Orleans. They were thinking that the White segregationists would protest this in the south and force the Federal Government to enforce the Boynton decision. When they reached Alabama one bus had to stop to replace a tire and was then firebombed and the riders were beaten. They tried again later with the help of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy but were beaten. Kennedy ordered the Interstate Commerce commission in response. -
March on Washington
On August 28, 1963 the March on Washington(organized by A. Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin and Martin Luther King Jr.) 200,000 people(both black and white) came together in Washington D.C. for the peaceful protest march. The march helped force civil rights legislation and job equality for everyone. Several civil rights leaders like Philip, Bayard, and Martin Luther King Jr. gave speeches at the event. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke last and concluded the march with his “I have a Dream” speech. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
On July 2, 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of !964 into law. The law helped increase equal rights for the African Americans. The law gave equal employment, for all, limited the use of voter literacy tests, and made people with federal authorities to ensure public facilities were integrated. It was so important that Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders witnessed the signing. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
On April 3,1968 Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop speech at a labor strike. Later he returned to his hotel room at Lorraine Hotel and was standing on his room’s balcony when he was shot dead by a sniper. The sniper was later identified as James Earl Ray and was apprehended 2 months later after an international manhunt. He went to jail for 99 years. The death of Martin Luther King Jr. caused riots and dematraions in more than 100 cities across the U.S. -
Fair Housing Act of 1968
On April 11, 1968, days after King’s assassination, the Fair Housing act of 1968 was passed into law. The law prevent housing discrimination based on race, gender, national origin and religion. It was also the last legislation enacted during the civil rights era. The civil rights era was a difficult time for African /americans but laws like this came and helped the. This saw was passed at the end of the era.
