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Desegregation of armed forces
The desegregation of the U.S. armed forces began on July 26, 1948. President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981, which mandated equality of treatment and opportunity for all people in the armed services, regardless of race, color, religion, or national origin.
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Murder of Emmett Till
14 Year old boy Emmett Till was brutally lynched in Mississippi. His open casket funeral galvanized the Civil Rights movement.
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Montgomery bus boycotts
Mass protests against segregation in public bus transportation, sparked by rosa parks.
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Sit-ins
Student lead sit-ins begun when four black students from North Carolina sat down at a lunch counter in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina.
This led to desegregation of many businesses.
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Civil rights act of 1960
This law played a significant role in expanding voting rights and ensuring more equitable participation in elections -
Freedom Rides
The freedom rides were bus trips organized by civil rights activists to challenge racial segregation in interstate travel in the south. "Through non-violence, courage displaces fear; love transforms hate." -James Lawson
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Integration of the university of Mississippi
A black man, James Meredith, applied to an all-white university. He was guarded twenty-four hours a day by reserve U.S. deputy marshals and army troops.
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Birmingham campaign
This was a series of nonviolent protests led by SCLC in 1963 to ending segregation and discrimination in Birmingham, Alabama. A city with brutal police force and segregationist policies.
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March on Washington
A march where more than a quarter of a million people participated, fighting for job freedom near the Lincoln memorial. This is when Martin Luther King Jr gave his "I have a Dream" speech.
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Bombing of the 16th street Baptist church
A Ku Klux Klan bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. left 4 young girls dead.
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24th Amendment
This addition to the constitution prohibits both the federal government and the states from requiring the payment of a poll tax or any other tax as a condition for voting in federal elections. -
Civil rights act of 1964
Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. -
Selma to Montgomery march
MLK led thousands of non-violent demonstrators to Montgomery, Alabama to fight against the racist structure of the Jim Crow south. Leads into the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
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Voting rights Act of 1965
A piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. -
Higher education of 1965
Was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, aimed to expand access to higher education and strengthen educational resources. -
Executive order 11246
This law prohibited discrimination in employment by federal contractors and subcontractors and required action to ensure equal opportunity -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr
Martin Luther King Jr., an American civil rights activist, was fatally shot in Memphis, Tennessee. This sparked mourning and riots across the country.
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Fair Housing act
This law prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, and disability. -
Emergency school aid act
The Emergency School Aid Act provided grants to nonprofit organizations and local school districts. These funds helped schools with desegregation efforts and to reduce the isolation of minority groups in schools. -
Equal employment opportunity
Ensures the fair treatment of applicants and employees regardless of protected characteristic like race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information