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13th Amendment (Constitutional Amendment)
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the U.S. White Americans managed to get around it by passing Black Codes and JIm Crow Laws. -
14th Amendment (Constitutional Amendment)
No state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. All persons born or naturalized in the U.S and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the U.S -
15th Amendment (Constitutional Amendment)
It granted the right to vote to any U.S citizen, Black Americans, or any colored person. But again, Southern states intimidated any colored person who tried to vote. They implemented poll taxes and literacy tests to limit the number of colored people voting. -
Plessy v. Ferguson (Supreme Court Case)
Supreme Court case that ruled that state-mandated segregation laws did not violate the equal protection clause. It was the "Seperate but Equal" Act that caused segregation between colored and whites. -
Wilmington Coup ( Violent Action)
4-60 African Americans died. It was the climax of a white supremacy campaign—the restriction of black men from voting. -
Formation of the NAACP (Formation of an Organization)
It's the oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its goal is to promote equality of rights and erase social hierarchy or race prejudice among United States citizens. -
Truman Desegrated the US Military ( Executive Order by the President)
President Truman signed an executive order that eliminated discrimination based on race, religion, color, and national origin in the military. The Korean War was the first fight where the integrated military fought together. -
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (Supreme Court Case)
It was a Supreme Court case that ended segregation in public schools. It overturned Plessy v Ferguson, stating that segregation wasn't equal. -
Emmett Till's Murder (Violent Action)
Emmett Till was lynched at 14 years old in the state of Mississippi for allegedly offending a white woman. He was murdered by the woman's husband and his half-brother. After having confessed, an all white jury found them not guilty. -
Rosa Parks is Arrested/ Montgomery Bus (Protest)
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white man. This event leads to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. -
Little Rock Nine (Violent Action/ Protest)
Angry white mobs blocked nine Black students from integrating into Little Rock Central High School. President Dwight D. Eisenhower had to send federal troops to escort them, but even then they continued to be harassed. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957 (Laws)
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It focused on protecting voting rights for African Americans, but it failed to eliminate poll taxes and literacy tests. -
Greensboro Sit-In (Protest)
Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain, and Joseph McNeil were college students in Greensboro, North Carolina. They refused to leave a "whites only" counter without being served. They said that they were inspired by Gandhi's nonviolent protest. -
Freedom Rides (Protest)
Freedom Rides were bus trips that challenged segregation laws in the South. Buses were filled with both black and white activists. These bus trips were organized by civil rights activists. -
March on Washington for Jobs/ MLK's "I Have A Dream" Speech (Protest)
Over 200,000 people joined the March on Washington For Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King gave his famous "I Have A Dream" speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Laws)
This Act was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in order to ban segregation in public places and ban employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. -
March from Selma to Montgomery ( Protest)
Around 600 civil rights marchers walked to Selma, Alabama to the state capital in protest of Black voter suppression. They were attacked by local police and later went to court for their right to march. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965 (Laws)
Voting Rights Act of 1965 signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson ended discrimination in voting. This Act ended literacy tests in the South, allowing more African Americans to vote. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (Violent Action)
MLK was shot on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. It is believed that James Earl Ray was his killer. His assassination caused multiple riots. -
Swann v. Charlotte- Mecklenburg Schools (Supreme Court Case)
This Supreme Court case stemmed from Brown v. Board of Education. James E. Swann viewed it necessary to use busing (transporting a child of one race to a school where another race is predominant) as a way to integrate schools.