Civil Rights Movement Timeline

By hcwel390

  • Brown v. Board of Education

    Brown v. Board of Education
    The Supreme Court held that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, thereby overturning the “separate, but equal” doctrine from its 1896 ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson . The unanimous ruling presented a turning point in the civil rights movement, providing momentum to support further educational reform.

  • Montgomery Bus Boycott

    Montgomery Bus Boycott
    The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a response to Rosa Parks’s refusal to give her seat up to a white passenger on a segregated bus. Led by Martin Luther King Jr. and other African American leaders, they coordinated a boycott of Montgomery’s public transportation. The boycott, which lasted more than a year, helped to desegregate the city’s buses and served as a nonviolent protest.

  • March on Washington

    March on Washington
    This massive gathering brought together civil rights activists from all over the country and this is where Martin Luther King Jr made his infamous “I have a Dream” speech, calling on congress for racial equality and justice. This contributed to the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

  • Civil Rights Act of 1964

    Civil Rights Act of 1964
    Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. This act ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination, marking a significant victory for the Civil Rights Movement.

  • Selma to Montgomery Marches

    Selma to Montgomery Marches
    Led by Martin Luther King Jr, the Selma to Montgomery marches were a series of marches that aimed to secure voting rights for African Americans. The first march, also known as “Bloody Sunday,” was a crackdown by state troopers; it shocked the nation and gained support for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.