Civil Rights Timeline

  • Brown vs. Board of Education

    Brown vs. Board of Education
    It was declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
  • Emmett Till Murder

    Emmett Till Murder
    Emmett Louis Till was a 14-year-old African American who was abducted and lynched in Mississippi in 1955 after being accused of offending a white woman.
  • Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott

    Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott
    Rosa Parks' 1955 arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, leading to bus desegregation and advancing the Civil Rights Movement.
  • The Little Rock Nine and Integration

    The Little Rock Nine and Integration
    The Little Rock Nine were nine Black students who integrated Central High School in Arkansas in 1957, with federal troops ensuring their safety.
  • Greensboro Woolworth's Sit-ins

    Greensboro Woolworth's Sit-ins
    In 1960, four Black students staged a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, NC, sparking nationwide protests and leading to desegregation.
  • Freedom Rides

    Freedom Rides
    The Freedom Rides of 1961 were interracial bus trips to challenge segregation in the South, leading to desegregated bus facilities despite violent opposition.
  • 24th Amendment

    24th Amendment
    The 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, abolished the poll tax in federal elections, ensuring that voting rights could not be denied due to the inability to pay a tax.
  • MLK’s Letter From Birmingham Jail

    MLK’s Letter From Birmingham Jail
    "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (1963) is a letter by Martin Luther King Jr. where he defends civil disobedience and argues for the urgent need to challenge unjust laws.
  • March on Washington

    March on Washington
    The March on Washington in 1963 was a massive rally for jobs and civil rights, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, advocating for racial equality and economic justice.
  • Birmingham Baptist Church Bombing

    Birmingham Baptist Church Bombing
    The Birmingham Baptist Church bombing on September 15, 1963, killed four African American girls and fueled outrage, strengthening the Civil Rights Movement.
  • Civil Rights Act of 1964

    Civil Rights Act of 1964
    outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in the United States
  • Voting Rights Act of 1965

    Voting Rights Act of 1965
    The Voting Rights Act of 1965 banned racial discrimination in voting, eliminating barriers like literacy tests and ensuring federal oversight in areas with discriminatory practices.
  • “Bloody Sunday”/Selma to Montgomery March

    “Bloody Sunday”/Selma to Montgomery March
    "Bloody Sunday" (March 7, 1965) was a violent attack on peaceful protesters marching from Selma to Montgomery, leading to the passage of the Voting Rights Act.
  • Loving v. Virginia

    Loving v. Virginia
    The US Supreme Court unanimously struck down state laws banning interracial marriage