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The Supreme Court Decision of Plessy v. Ferguson
The Supreme courts decision was so significant because it established the "separate but equal" doctrine. This movement was challenged due to it upholding state-imposed racial segregation and legitimizing Jim Crow laws for decades allowing for the continued oppression of African Americans. -
The Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Forces.They were crucial to the Civil Rights Movement because their successful service in the military, despite facing racial discrimination, challenged racist stereotypes and paved the way for the integration of the armed forces and broader social equality. -
The Integration of Major League Baseball
Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play in the Major League Baseball and played for the Los Angeles Dodgers. This was important for American history as it symbolized progress in the fight for racial equality and paved the way for other civil rights advancements. -
The Integration of the Armed Forces
The Executive Order 9981 was important because it mandated the desegregation of the U.S. armed forces, establishing the policy of equality of treatment and opportunity for all, regardless of race, color, religion, or national origin. This helped crucially for the Civil Rights Movement. -
The Supreme Court Decision of Sweatt v. Painter
The Supreme Courts decision in Sweatt v. Painter ruled that the separate law school for African Americans at the University of Texas was inherently unequal. This paved the way for the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision by undermining the "separate but equal" doctrine, ultimately leading to the end of segregation in public education. -
The Supreme Court Decision of Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Courts decision in the Brown v. Board of Education overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson, later they announced that Plessy v. Ferguson was overturned, declaring state-sponsored segregation in public schools unconstitutional and paving the way for integration. -
The Death of Emmitt Till
The murder of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy, in 1955, brought international attention to the Civil Rights Movement by exposing the brutal realities of racial violence and injustice in the South, galvanizing activists and sparking a surge in protests and activism. -
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist, sparked a pivotal moment in the fight for equality by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in 1955, which led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott and ultimately the desegregation of public transportation and the rise of the Civil Rights Movement. -
The Integration of Little Rock High School
The integration of Little Rock High School faced intense resistance, with Governor Orval Faubus deploying the Arkansas National Guard to prevent their entry, this lead to President Eisenhower federalizing the Guard and deploying the 101st Airborne to ensure the students' safety. This was important to the Civil Rights Movement because it brought national attention to the struggle for desegregation and ultimately paved the way for further legal and legislative advancements. -
The Civil Right Act of 1957
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 ,this Act was under President Eisenhower, was a landmark piece of legislation for the Civil Rights Movement because it was the first major civil rights law since Reconstruction, establishing the Civil Rights Commission and empowering federal prosecutors to combat interference with voting rights, thus paving the way for future civil rights advancements. -
The Greensboro Four Lunch Counter Sit-In
The Greensboro Four's lunch counter sit-in was very important in the Civil Rights Movement because it sparked a nationwide movement of nonviolent protests against segregation, drawing national attention and inspiring similar actions across the South, ultimately leading to the desegregation of public facilities. The Greensboro four were Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr., and David Richmond. -
The Freedom Rides by Freedom Riders of 1961
The 1961 Freedom Rides were crucial because they challenged segregation in interstate travel, exposed the brutality of the South's resistance, and ultimately led to the Interstate Commerce Commission banning segregation in interstate transit, paving the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
The Twenty-Fourth Amendment
The twenty-fourth amendment amendment is an important piece of legislation because it abolished and forbid the federal state governments from imposing taxes on voter during federal elections. This made voting free, but there were still some places in America where colored people couldn't vote. -
The Integration of the University of Mississippi
The integration of the University of Mississippi, Ole Miss in 1962, spearheaded by James Meredith, was when federal appeals court ordered the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith, an African-American student. This was a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement, demonstrating the power of legal action and federal intervention in dismantling segregation and setting a precedent for desegregation across the South. -
The Integration of the University of Alabama
The integration of the University of Alabama on June 11, 1963, was a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement, as it forced a national confrontation over segregation and led to President Kennedy's call for a moral stand on civil rights and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This opened doors not only to two black students, but for decades of progress toward becoming an inclusive campus. -
The March on Washington and "I Have a Dream" Speech by MLK
The March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech are considered a great moment in American history because they galvanized the Civil Rights Movement, pushed for crucial legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and inspired a nation to strive for racial equality and justice. -
The assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas
John F. Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. The assassination of John F. Kennedy was a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement because it galvanized the nation to push for civil rights legislation, with President Lyndon B. Johnson framing Kennedy's death as a catalyst for change and successfully pushing through the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 signed by President Johnson
A little under a year later after the assassination of John F. Kennedy the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed by President Johnson. This was a landmark achievement in the civil rights movement, outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and ending segregation in public places and federally funded programs. -
The Assassination of Malcolm X
Malcolm X's greatest contribution to the Civil Rights Movement was his articulation of a radical, Black nationalist perspective, advocating for self-reliance and self-defense, which challenged the mainstream movement's focus on non-violence and integration, ultimately contributing to the development of the Black Power movement. -
The Selma to Montgomery March: "Bloody Sunday"
"Bloody Sunday" during the Selma to Montgomery March, where peaceful protestors were brutally attacked by law enforcement, galvanized public opinion, led to national media coverage, and ultimately pushed for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a landmark achievement for the Civil Rights Movement. -
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act is a landmark federal law enacted in 1965 to remove race-based restrictions on voting. It is perhaps the country's most important voting rights law, with a history that dates to the Civil War. This means that it doesn't matter what race or color you are as long as you are over the age of 21 then you could now vote. -
The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee
The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 energized the Black Power Movement, sparking widespread riots and unrest in over 100 American cities, leading to numerous deaths, injuries, and arrests, while also galvanizing the civil rights movement and leading to the passage of the Fair Housing Act. -
The Voting Rights Act of 1968
The Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act, was important because it prohibited discrimination in the sale, rental, or financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, and later, sex, and expanded the definition of civil rights to include fair housing, addressing a major area of concern that previous acts hadn't fully tackled.