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NAACP was founded
In 1909, Du Bois, Terrell, and others gathered in New York City, NY, where they founded the NAACP on February 12, 1909, to fight racism and violence against all people of color in the United States. -
Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers
Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. He was the first African American to play Major League Baseball in the 20th century. -
Brown v. Board of Education
the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that state-sponsored segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson -
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her courageous act of protest was considered the spark that ignited the Civil Rights movement. For decades, Martin Luther King Jr.'s fame overshadowed hers. -
Desegregation of Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas
The desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 was a major event in the civil rights movement. The event became known as the Little Rock Crisis. -
Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1957
On September 9, 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Originally proposed by Attorney General Herbert Brownell, the Act marked the first occasion since Reconstruction that the federal government undertook significant legislative action to protect civil rights. -
Sit-in at Woolworth’s lunch counter
the four students sat down at the lunch counter at the Woolworth's in downtown Greensboro, where the official policy was to refuse service to anyone but whites. Denied service, the four young men refused to give up their seats. -
CORE “freedom ride”
The Freedom Rides were a series of bus trips in 1961 that challenged segregation on interstate buses. The rides were organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), a nonviolent civil rights organization. -
Dr. King was thrown into Birmingham Jail
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and jailed in Birmingham, Alabama on April 12, 1963. He was jailed for participating in a nonviolent protest against segregation. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was a political demonstration in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963. It was a major civil rights event that advocated for the economic and civil rights of Black Americans.
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Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964
On July 2, 1964, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, a landmark piece of legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and ended segregation in public places and federally funded programs. -
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. -
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated
Martin Luther King Jr., an American civil rights activist, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m at age 39. -
"Bloody Sunday"
Bloody Sunday, or the Bogside Massacre, was a massacre on 30 January 1972 when British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians during a protest march in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland.