Civil Rights Timeline Jack Simpson

Brown v. Board of Education

May 17, 1954

1. Plessy vs. Furguson
2. There was a court case in topeka Kansas and a suit was filed against the board of education.
3. The case of Plessy vs. Ferguson was overruled.

The Killing of Lamar Smith -Brookhaven, Mississippi

Aug 13, 1955

Lamar Smith was an African American social rights activist. On August 23, he was helping blacks fill out absentee ballots at a courthouse. The point of this was so that they could vote without exposing themselves to violent poles. He was shot to death in front of dozens of people. The killer was never found. Three men were arrested but all of them were set free.

Emmett Till is Murdered -Money, Mississippi

Aug 28, 1955

Emmett Till was a 14 year old boy who was visiting relatives in Mississippi. Emmett was not accustomed to the traditions and social rules down south, this means he didn't know anything was wrong with jokingly whistling at a white woman. Emmett was kidnapped in the middle of the night for this "crime." His captors beat and abused him to the point of near death at which point they shot and killed him. He was then tied to a cotton gin fan and thrown in a river.

Rosa Parks Arrested for Refusing to Give up Her Bus Seat

Dec 1, 1955

1. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat near the front of the bus to a white man. The police were called and Rosa was arrested.
2. The police were called and Rosa was sent to jail.

Civil Rights Act of 1957

Sep 9, 1957

1. President Eisenhower.
2. It ensured that all African Americans had the right to vote.

Events at Little Rock, Arkansas

Sep 24, 1957

1. 9 African Americans were admitted to a school in Little Rock, Arkansas. They were met with opposition from mobs and soldiers.
2. The government sent in military and air support to escort the students inside.

The Lynching of Mack Charles Parker -Poplarville, Mississippi

Apr 25, 1959

Mack Charles Parkers was an African American man accused of kidnapping and raping a white woman. Mack was sent to jail because of this accusation. In the middle of the night, a mob of about 8 or 9 people went into the courthouse and dragged Mack from his jail cell. He was beaten and then driven to a bridge at witch point he was shot twice in the chest. They then tied chains to his dead body and threw him into the Pearl River.

Attack on the Freedom Riders

May 14, 1961

1. The Freedom Riders rode buses from state to state activating and advertising black rights.
2. The NAACP helped organize the freedom riders.
3. Freedom riders were also white. Many whites supported the fight for civil rights too.

James Meredith Enrolls at Ole Miss

Oct 1, 1962

1. He was initially accepted. After they found his out his race, the school board denied him enrollment. He got the case taken all the way up to the supreme court who ruled in his favor. After this, he went to get his classes on opening day and found his path blocked. Riots broke out and military officers were sent in to keep the peace.
2. The government sent in many national soldiers to break up the riots and keep the peace.

Police Attack with Dogs and Fire Hoses -Birmingham, Alabama

May 3, 1963

A nonviolent march was organized by MLK and James Bevel. They decided to use students in the march as demonstrators. This resulted in over a thousand arrests of students. The police used high pressure fire hoses and attack dogs against the demonstrators.

Medgar Evers Assassinated

Jun 12, 1963

1. Medgar Evers was a civil rights activist who worked to get rid of segregation at the university of Mississippi. He was also a field secretary for the NAACP
2. Medgar was assassinated by Byron De La Beckwith who was a member of the White Citizens' Council.

The March on Washington

Aug 28, 1963

1. The demonstrators wanted jobs and freedom in the nations capitol. They also wanted a strong civil rights bill to be passed by congress.
2. The "I Have a Dream" speech

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Jul 2, 1964

1. President Lyndon Johnson
2. The United States outlawed discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin.

March on Selma

Mar 7, 1965

1. The porpuse of the Selma March was to ensure the voting rights of all African Americans in the south.
2. The marchers were attacked by local police and law enforcement. This proved to be major resistance.
3. They were initially attacked and shut down by local police and law enforcement officers, but after more attempts at the march, reached their goal.

The Bombing of Vernon Dahmer -Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Jan 10, 1966

Vernon Dahmer was an active civil rights leader. He had been in lawsuits before concerning the right for blacks to vote. On the night of January 10th, the Klu Klux Klan attacked the Dahmer house. Vernon slept with a shotgun by his head because several death threats had been issued to them earlier in the year. In the middle of the night, gas cans were thrown through the windows and the house erupted into flames. They got out of the house but Vernon died in the hospital due to lung damage.

Thurgood Marshall First Black Supreme Court Justice

Oct 2, 1967

1. He was a very successful lawyer and made many cases in front of the supreme court.
2. It was very monumental because it showed that an African American could really hold a spot high up in the legal system.

The Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Apr 4, 1968

1. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was staying at the the Lorraine Motel in Tennessee. He was standing on the balcony when shot in the neck by a sniper.
2. His death affected both the blacks and the whites because it mad the rift between them seem bigger.