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Brown vs Board of Education
Brown vs Board of Education was a Supreme Court decision that overturned the Plessy vs. Ferguson decision from 1896. The court was led by Chief Justice Earl Warren, and they had ruled that "separate but equal" schools for blacks were inherently unequal and thus unconstitutional. The event is so significant because it is seen as the spark that started the civil rights movement through the 50's and 60's.
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Montgomery Bus Boycott
After Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus, Dr. Martin L. King led a boycott of city buses. After 11 months of intense boycotting the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public transportation was illegal. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was one of the first big collective protests during the Civil Rights Movement that resulted in change. Cite -
Little Rock Nine
Once the Little Rock school board votes to integrate schools, National Guard troops prevented black children from attending the school. 1000 federal paratroopers were sent to the school to escort black students and preserve peace around campus. The event showed how the government actually enforced the new laws against segregation and how the American people are still struggling to accept the laws.
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Letter from Birmingham Jail
The letter from Birmingham Jail was in response to the white ministers who had urged Martin Luther King Jr to stop causing disturbances in society. King wrote this articulate statement of nonviolent resistance to wrongs of American society and tries explaining to these ministers how his nonviolent resistance is what God would want. This letter showed off King's prowess in writing and showed how the white ministers were being complete hypocrites.
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March on Washington
The March on Washington took place on August 28,1963. The goal was to organize a massive rally in Washington to push for the passing of President Kennedy's civil rights bill. The peak of the march is when famously King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The March On Washington is so important because not only is it one of the most recognizable scenes from the civil rights movement, it led to the civil rights act of 1964 being passed.
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Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was an act passed under President Johnson. The act outlawed segregation in public areas and granted the federal government power to fight black disfranchisement. As result of the act the institution Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was created to prevent discrimination in the work place. This act was the strongest civil rights legislation since Reconstruction and changed many apathetic Americans minds about civil rights.
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Selma Marches
The Selma marches were a series of three marches that's goal was to protest voting rights, with many peaceful demonstrators injured and killed. The marches were led by Martin Luther King Jr and resulted in the passing of the Voting Rights Act. Selma marches are often seen as when the African Americans were at their peak power during the Civil Rights Movement.
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