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Executive Order 9981
President Harry Truman desegregated the United States military with Executive Order 9981. The order mandated the integration of all branches of the military and marked another step toward racial equality. Executive Order 9981 stated that "equal treatment and opportunity shall be accorded to all persons in the Armed Forces without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin." This executive order desegregated the military, making it easier for black service members to serve. -
Brown V. Board of education
On May 17, 1954, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren issued a unanimous decision in the civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. This historic decision ended the "separate but equal" precedent that the Supreme Court had established nearly 60 years earlier in Plessy v. Ferguson. The case improved educational opportunities for black people, ensuring that black and white children had access to the same quality of education. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott began on December 5, 1955, when Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus to a white person. In response, black residents organized a major boycott of the city's buses, refusing to ride until the segregation laws were changed. Led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the boycott lasted for more than a year. It ended with a Supreme Court ruling that declared bus segregation unconstitutional. -
Little rock nine
In 1957, nine ordinary teenagers left home to be on the front lines of the fight for civil rights for all Americans. They faced fierce racist opposition. President Dwight D. Eisenhower intervened and sent in federal troops to escort the students to school. Their activism sparked improvements in education for black Americans, giving them access to better education. Their actions helped pave the way for greater educational equality. -
SNCC
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was founded in 1960 to give young people a voice in the civil rights movement. In the early 1960s, black college students staged sit-ins across the United States in protest of restaurant segregation. SNCC participated in several major civil rights movements in the 1960s, the first of which was the Freedom Rides, among many others. Their work gained media attention and inspired many people to speak out against discrimination against black people. -
Freedom rides
In 1961, Freedom Riders, a group of Black and white activists, traveled through the South by bus to challenge segregation in public transportation. Even though the Supreme Court had ruled segregation in bus travel illegal, many southern states still practiced it. The Freedom Riders faced violence, arrests, and attacks, but their efforts gained national attention. As a result, the government began enforcing desegregation in interstate travel, demonstrating the impact of nonviolent protest. -
Children Crusade
In May 1963, the Children's Crusade took place in Birmingham, Alabama. It was a series of protests in which thousands of black children and young people marched to demand an end to racial discrimination. On May 2, as many as two dozen students marched through downtown singing for freedom. Police responded violently, using fire hoses and police dogs to try to stop them. This led to outrage across the country. These helped increase public support for civil rights. -
The March on Washington
On August 28, 1963, more than 250,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., to take part in the Washington Renewal Movement for Freedom and Jobs. The event featured the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, in which he called for racial equality and a future where people would not be judged by the color of their skin. Following this speech, employment opportunities for black people increased, dramatically changing their lives. -
Civil rights act
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was one of the most significant civil rights laws in U.S. history. It banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in public places, schools, and the workplace. It also eliminated racial segregation in restaurants, hotels, and other public facilities, and strengthened voting rights for black Americans. The Civil Rights Act ended legal segregation, allowing blacks to use the same public facilities as whites. -
Malcom X
Malcolm X was a civil rights leader and activist known for his powerful speeches and his activism in advocating for the advancement of rights for black people. He was a key figure in the Nation of Islam (NOI). He grew up facing racism and violence, and later became a minister in the Nation of Islam and gained national fame. He was assassinated while giving a speech in New York on February 21, 1965. He advocated self-defense for black people and changed their lives. -
Selma to Montgomery March
The 1965 Selma to Montgomery March was a pivotal event in the civil rights movement, which sought to secure voting rights for black Americans. The march took place in Alabama, where a group of activists sought to protest the systematic disenfranchisement of black people. The law banned discriminatory practices such as literacy tests and poll taxes that had been used to suppress black voters, especially in the South. -
National Black power Conference
The National Black Power Conference, held in New York City, was a key event in the civil rights movement. The conference was organized by a coalition of black leaders and organizations, including Stokely Carmichael and other activists who were moving away from the nonviolent approach of earlier civil rights movements toward more radical strategies. The conference marked a significant shift in the Black Power movement and broadened its meaning and advocacy for positive social change.