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Civil Rights Timeline

By icefish
  • Brown vs Board of Education

    Brown vs Board of Education
    On 5/17/54 the court ruled that “separate but equal” was not only untrue, but also unconstitutional. “Separate educational facilities are inherently (fundamentally) unequal.” This resulted in the desegregation (integration) of schools.
  • Rosa Parks

    Rosa Parks
    In 1955, Rosa Parks, a black seamstress, refused to relinquish (give up) her seat to a white male. At this time she was sitting in the area reserved for white persons. At the next stop, she was escorted off of the Montgomery Bus and arrested for “disturbing the peace”.
  • Montgomery Bus Boycott

    Montgomery Bus Boycott
    Because of Rosa Parks being arrested on the bus, blacks everywhere began to stop riding the busses to get anywhere. They would walk, bike, or even hitchhike. This was in protest of segregated seating; blacks always had to go to the back , or stand if there wasn’t anymore room.
  • Southern Christian Leadership Conference

    Southern Christian Leadership Conference
    The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was founded by Martin L. King Jr. and some others who wanted to oppose discrimination, but in a peaceful manner.
  • Little Rock Nine

    Little Rock Nine
    Some teenage black girls broke through barriers made by integration protesters.
  • Woolworth sit ins

    Woolworth sit ins
    The Woolworth sit ins were started by some black students who were sitting at a whites-only lunch counter on February 1, 1960. Some were arrested for “disturbing the peace,” “disorderly conduct,” or “trespassing.” However, it was too late; sit ins were starting everywhere, in all different locations. “Woolworth and others were driven to change their strategies of segregation.”
  • Ruby Bridges integrates New Orleans Public Schools

    Ruby Bridges integrates New Orleans Public Schools
    Ruby Bridges breaks through the angry crowds and enters a whites-only school starting the integration of other schools in New Orleans.
  • Freedom Riders

    Freedom Riders
    13 black and white discrimination protesteres tour the "Deep South" on a bus. On the route, they would attempt to desegregate facilities along the way. At each stop along their way, they met with great amounts of violence, some attacks proving fatal.
  • James Meredith enrolls at Mississippi University

    James Meredith enrolls at Mississippi University
    James H. Meredith was the first black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. There was a riot going on trying to prevent his entering, but he was protected and accepted at the college.
  • MLK Jr. writes Letters from a Birmingham Jail

    MLK Jr. writes Letters from a Birmingham Jail
    Martin L. King jr. is arrested with some others during a demonstration on Good Friday, bringing national attention to the terrible treatment suffered by black Americans. He writes letters encouraging those outside to press on and keep (peacefully) fighting for justice.
  • MLK I have a dream

    MLK I have a dream
    2-300,000 white and black men and women march to Washington, D. C. M. L. K. Jr. gives his speech about how he wants there to be a time when all men are treated equally; also being judged by character and not by race.
  • B. Connor's violence becomes National News

    B. Connor's violence becomes National News
    Eugene C. ran for mayor in Birmingham and won. This was during the Freedom RIdes. He dislikes blacks and treats them accordingly.
  • Civil Rights Act of 1964

    Civil Rights Act of 1964
    The civil rights act of '64 decimated the segregation of public places and race discrimination of jobs.
  • 24th Amendment Passed (Voting rights)

    24th Amendment Passed (Voting rights)
    Signed into law by Lyndon Johnson, the voting rights act removed poll taxes disallowing blacks the right to vote. The Voting rights act gave them free passsage to vote.
  • Malcom X is Assassinated

    Malcom X is Assassinated
    M. X is shot and killed by a member of the Black Muslims.
  • Selma march-Bloody Sunday

    Selma march-Bloody Sunday
    MLK leads a march from Selma to Montgomery, AL. They were met with much violence through the whole thing, but on Sunday, things got gross. Many protesters were wounded, but only a few were killed.
  • Voting rights act of 1965

    Voting rights act of 1965
    The voting rights act of '65 tried to help blacks bring into effect their voting rights based on the 15th Amendment.
  • Los Angeles Race riots

    Los Angeles Race riots
    Black residents of cities all over Los Angeles grew anrgy because of what they thought was a racial arrest. They burned buildings, robbed stores, beating white people, sniping policemen and firefighters. The riots lasted 5 days.
  • Lyndon Johnson Institutes Affirmative Action

    Lyndon Johnson Institutes Affirmative Action
    Affirmative Action sought to equalize races. Also it tried to give them the same kinds of opportunities; examples being jobs, voting, Public facilities, etc.
  • Stokey Carmichael coined the phrase "black power"

    Stokey Carmichael coined the phrase "black power"
    S. Carmichael coins phrase "black power" during one of his speeches. It showed that he wanted them to move forward, though still in a peaceful manner.
  • Back Panthers

    Back Panthers
    The black Panthers were militants, useing violence as a tool to spread socialism.
  • Thurgood Marshall is appointed to the Supreme Court

    Thurgood Marshall is appointed to the Supreme Court
    T. Marshall(TM) is the first black to be elected to the Supreme Court. This is a big step in black history because now they have a man who can speak on their behalf having similar thoughts to their own.
  • Martin L. King Jr. is assassinated

    Martin L. King Jr. is assassinated
    MLK is shot and killed by James Earl Ray. He stood on the balcony of a hotel in Memphis, TN.
  • TC Williams high school football teasm wins the state championship

    TC Williams high school football teasm wins the state championship
    The Titans were the first team with blacks to win the state championship.