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The Montgomery Bus Boycott
On the day of December 1, 1955, Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church saying that they should protest, but they must do it peacefully. This all started because Rosa Parks decided to challenge the segregation of public transportation, which led to people not riding on the busses. One fun fact about all of this is that black churches across the country donated shoes to the boycotters who were wearing out their shoes walking. -
The Little Rock 9
The 9 African-American children of Little Rock, Arkansas were not ready for what was to happen when they enrolled in the all white school of Central High. Even though it was 100% legal for them, the people of Little Rock did not enjoy the fact that there would be african-american children in their all white school. They began to protest outside and were stopped from attacking the children. One fun fact is that there were 2 african-american news reporters that had gotten beat during this time. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
This was the first law passed about civil rights since Reconstruction. It was intended to protect the right of African Americans to vote. Eisenhower was afraid that the southern democrats would try to block the legislation. It was in fact Senate majority leader, Democrat Lyndon Johnson who put together a compromise that enabled the act to pass. -
The Sit-in Movement
The 4 students had been at the store buying school supplies when they went over to go order coffee.They sat at the all white counter and were refused service because they were african american. They decided that instead of leaving, they would sit there until they were served, no matter how long it took. Other students followed, and before they knew it they had people across the country doing the same thing they did. By 1961, sit ins had happened in more than 100 cities nation wide. -
The Freedom Riders
These Freedom Riders were a group of people trying to desegregate the busses. They traveled through several towns and at every town they were beat rigerously. When they arrived at Birmingham they were beaten so badly that you could not see their face through the blood. These people were sent their by the Public Safety Commisioner. One fun fact is that this took place 4 months after Kennedy had taken office. -
James Meredith and the Desegregation of the University of Mississippi
James Meredith attempted to register at the universties admissions office, but was stopped by Ross Barnett, the governor of Mississippi. He refused to let Meredith enroll and president Kennedy had to send Meredith to school with 500 marshals. They were attacked and 160 of them were injured. This happened for the rest of the year until he graduated in August. -
Protests in Birmingham
King was upset that after what happened in Mississippi and the fact that Kennedy had not passed a new Civil Rights Law afterwards. This caused King to begin protesting in Alabama, where Public Safety Commisioner Bull Connor had run for mayor. King was arrested during these protests, and they died out while he was in jail. When he got out, tbey started again and the amount of police brutality was outrageous. This finally made Kennedy prepare a new civil rights bill. -
The March on Washington
On this day, over 200,000 demonstrators from all races flocked to the nations capitol to help push the new law through congress. This is where they had given speeches and played hymns. This is also where King gave his famous "I have a dream" speech. This had pushed the bill, but there were still some opponents in congress who had been trying to delay voting as much as possible. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This was the most comprehensive civil rights law Congress had ever enacted, Signed by president Johnson, it gave the federal government the power to prevent racial discrimination. It gave every person of every race access to public facilities. It also ended descrimination in the workplace. -
The Selma March
This march was started so that they could get voting rights, King demanded that he had the right to vote. As the marchers got to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Sherriff Clark ordered them to disperse. They refused and 200 state troopers attacked them. This became known as "bloody Sunday", which left many people injured and 70 people hospitalized. President Johnson saw this on tv and was outraged at what he had been watching. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This opened a new light for african-americans. This gave them the right to register as voters. It also suspended descriminatory devices, such as literacy tests. By the end of the year, 250,000 african-americans were registered voters. There were also 100 african-americans voted into office. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
On this day, he was sitting on his hotel balcony in Memphis, and was assassinated by a sniper. This caused an uproar throughout the country and the Civil Rights act of 1968 was passed because of this. This shot is the shot that ended an era in American history.
