Civil Rights Movement

By abbiel117

  • Brown vs. Board of Education

    An African American girl named Linda Brown was denied admission to her closest school in Kansas because of her race. She was told to attend an all-black school across town. The NAACP helped her parents sue the school board. On this day, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. This ruling threatened the entire system of segregation and many Whites were very mad and there was massive resistance.

  • Rosa Parks Bus Boycott

    The first major event in the Civil Rights Movement was when Rosa Parks refused to move seats on the bus for a white man. News of her arrest reached the NAACP and they used her case to challenge segregation. It sparked a new era in the civil rights movement.

  • The Montgomery Bus Boycott

    Martin Luther King Jr. was elected to lead the Montgomery Improvement Association and their boycott. His words stirred African Americans in Montgomery to continue their boycott for a year. In November, the Supreme Court declared Alabama's laws requiring segregation on buses unconstitutional. This boycott demonstrated that nonviolent protest could be successful.

  • The Sit-in Movement

    Four African American college students in North Carolina were refused service as soon as they sat at the whites-only lunch counter when they were served at the regular checkout counter. They staged a sit-in at the counter and stayed until the shop closed. The following day, 29 African American students arrived and joined in. By the end of the week, more than 300 students were taking part. Within two months, sit-ins had spread to 54 cities in nine states. By 1961, it was more than 100 cities.

  • March on Washington

    Civil rights leaders kept the pressure on legislators and the president by planning a large-scale march on Washington. On this date, more than 250,000 African American and white demonstrators gathered near the Lincoln Memorial. They heard speeches and sang songs. Martin Luther King Jr. then delivered a powerful speech about wanting freedom and equality for all Americans. This famous speech was his "I have a dream" speech.

  • Dr. King Is Assassinated

    Dr. King was assassinated by a sniper as he was standing on his hotel balcony. His death started off national mourning and riots in more that 100 cities, including Washington D.C. In the wake of his death, Congress did pass the Civil Rights Act of 1968. Although the civil rights movement created enormous change, after King's death it lacked the unity of purpose and vision that he had given it.