-
Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln issued a preliminary proclamation, stating that all slaves that did not end their rebellion against the Union would be emancipated. The definiton of emancipated is "free from legal, social, or political restrictions; liberated." -
First Colored Troopes
The Civil War took place throughout the years of 1861-1865. Because each side of the war needed soldiers, thhe United States Colored Troops were recruited. By the end of the war, 179,000 blacks had served on the Union side. -
First Black Doctor
Rebecca Lee Crumpler was the first black doctor to open practice. She was admitted to the New England Female Medical College, which was extremely unusual for blacks and/or black women. She graduated in 1863. -
The Right to Vote! ...kinda.
The Fifteenth Amendment was passed by Congress on this date, allowing black MEN only to vote. Section 1 stated "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." -
Jim Crow
Around this time in 1876, the first Jim Crow laws were passed. The first of these laws were passed in Georgia. These specfic laws prohibited integrated schools, meaning white children could not attend the same school as black children. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
This was a huge landmark case, regarding the Seperate Car Act of 1890. Homer Plessy, a black man, boarded a whites-only train car. He was told to leave, but he resfused, which resulted in his arrest. After being found guilty in court, Plessy immediately appealed the decision. After the Supreme Court of Louisiana upheld the original judge (Ferguson)'s decision, the case was taken to the U.S, Supreme Court. The case upheld the Seperate but Equal doctrine. -
NAACP
The first meeting of a group that would soon be the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, also known as the NAACP. This organization's mission was "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination". -
First Black Police Officer
The first black police officer was Samuel J. Battle. He worked in New York as a part of the NYPD. He was sworn in on this date. -
And The Academy Goes To...
Hattie McDaniel was the first black person to win an Academy Award. She won the award in the category of Best Supporting Actress for her work in Gone With the Wind (1939), in which she portrayed the character of Mammy. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
Brown vs. Board of Education is a landmark case having to do with segragation in schools. The initial law suit was filed by 13 parents on behalf of their children, calling for the school district to reverse its policy on racial segragation. When the case finally reached the Supreme Court, the decision was unanimous that segragation in public schools is unconstitutional. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks sat in the front of a bus, which is where seats were reserved for white people. When a white person came to sit there, she refused to move to the back of the bus and was arrested. This led to protests and boycotts against the buses, causing a maor decline in the system's profit. Rosa became known for her work as a civil rights activist afterwards, and is still one of the most famous activists of her time. -
Period: to
Events of Civil Rights Movement
-
I Have a Dream...
Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most famous and influential civil rights leaders/activists gave this incredibly famous speech in Washinton, DC. He gave the speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in front of about 250,000 people. -
Black History Month
Black History month was founded in February of 1976 and is celebrated throughout the month of February. To this day, February is still named Black History Month. -
Civil Rights Act of 1991
This statute was passed in response to U.S. Supreme Court cases having to do with employee-suing-employer situations. This statute both limited the rights of the employees and specified some details, such as what grounds someone could sue their employer on. For example, it allowed a trial and a jury but limited how much the jury could award the employee. -
First Black President
Barack Obama was the first black man and black person overall to be elected as the president of the United States. Currently, he is still the president of the country.
