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Brown vs. Board of Education
This Supreme Court case decided racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, contradicting and overturning Plessy vs. Ferguson and the idea of "separate but equal." It helped spark the modern Civil Rights Movement and the series of actions that led to desegregation and integration. -
Murder of Emmet Till
Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy from Chicago, was brutally lynched in Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a white woman. His mother held an open-casket funeral, and the horrific image of his mutilated body drew national outrage. -
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Montgomery Bus Boycotts
Started by Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat to a white man, the Montgomery Bus Boycott was a year-long boycott against segregated buses. It showed the power of coordinated, nonviolent action. -
Little Rock Nine
Nine Black students attended Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, they had to be protected by federal troops after facing violent resistance. The crisis forced the federal government to take a role in enforcing desegregation in the South. -
Lunch Counter Sit-ins
Black college students sat at "white-only" lunch counters and refused to leave when asked to test and protest segregation. The sit-ins spread across the South and led to the creation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). -
Freedom Rides
Interracial activists rode buses across state lines into the segregated South to test the enforcement of Supreme Court rulings banning segregated bus stops. They faced violent attacks, but the rides forced the government to pay attention and eventually led to stronger enforcement of desegregation laws. -
Birmingham Protests
The protests in Birmingham included marches and boycotts against segregation and were led by Martin Luther King Jr. and the SCLC. The use of police dogs and fire hoses on children created global outrage and pressure for more civil rights legislation. -
March on Washington
More than 250,000 people marched in Washington, D.C. for jobs and freedom, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. The march showed huge support for civil rights and helped lead to the passage of the Civil Rights Act. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This legislation outlawed segregation in public spaces and banned employment discrimination based on race, skin color, religion, gender/sex, or nationality. It was a major legal achievement of the Civil Rights Movement and showed a federal commitment to equality. -
Freedom Summer
College students, many of them white Northerners, worked in Mississippi to register Black voters and set up "Freedom Schools." Volunteers faced massive violence, including the murder of three activists. -
Selma Marches
A series of marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, to protest voter suppression. "Bloody Sunday," where marchers were violently attacked by police, shocked the country and forced leaders to act on voting rights. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
This law banned literacy tests and other practices that stopped Black Americans from voting and gave the federal government control in states with a history of voter suppression. It increased Black voter registration and was a major achievement of the Civil Rights Movement.