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Civil Rights Movement
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Plessy vs Ferguson
Plessy vs Ferguson was the trial that Homer Plessy, a 1/8 black man, was arrested for sitting in a white train car. The court ruled that it wasn’t against the Constitution because of the 14th amendment, stating that there are “Separate but Equal” facilities. This changed black American lives by making segregation legal. From then on, it was stated that facilities could be separate but also equal, even if the black American facility was not the same as the white Americans. -
Tulsa Massacre
The Tulsa Massacre or Tulsa Riot was the destruction of Tulsa also known as the “Black Wall Street”. After Dick Rowland was accused of assaulting a white woman in an elevator, a white mob attacked the Tulsa town. The mob looted, burned, and destroyed most of the town. Many black Americans died, lost their jobs, and lost their homes. After this event many Americans sided with the white mob, but in the long term Americans were in denial of the event and wanted justice for the Community. -
Scottsboro Boys
The Scottsboro Boys were nine boys accused of raping two white women. The boys were falsely accused of rape. Eight of the nine boys were convicted to death, until 1932 when the boys were released on parole after the Supreme Court overruled their sentence. The trial consisted of an all white court, that unfairly accused the boys. The court accused the Scottsboro Boys of rape with false evidence to keep order in the system while giving the boys an unfair trial. -
Jim Crow Laws
Jim Crow Laws were state laws that enforced racial segregation in the South. Examples of Jim Crow Laws include the segregation of schools, public spaces, and declaring miscegenation a felony. Jim Crow Laws lasted for almost a century. These Laws changed the lives of black Americans in the South. Jim Crow laws not only enforced segregation but allowed discrimination of black Americans and encouraged racism. -
Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine were the first black students to integrate Little Rock Central High School. The students were first faced by a white mob and the National Guard that the Governor of Arkansas sent. The black American students faced opposition from the Arkansas government, the community, and the white students. The situation was so bad that President Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne to force and protect the students when entering Little Rock Highschool. -
Brown vs Board
Brown vs Board was the Supreme Court decision that ruled to integrate schools, making segregation in schools unconstitutional. This also overruled the “separate but equal” segregation. Many Southern politicians opposed the decision and attempted to stop integration in the Southern States. Like the Governor of Arkansas, Southern officials were against the integration of schools. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a protest against the segregation of public transportation. The movement sparked after Rosa Parks was arrested for sitting in the front of a bus. Without any violence, black Americans began to stop using the busses of their towns. This protest was so successful because the bus systems began to lose money without the black Americans using the busses. This protest began to spark many more protest in America during the Civil Rights Movement. -
Emmet Till Lynching
Emmet Till was a 14 year old black American who was lynched by two white men. Emmet was lynched for simply flirting with a white woman. Emmet was token and brutally murdered by the men. America was horrified by the death of Emmet Till. Emmet Till became a major event in the Civil Rights Movement. The Emmet Till lynching even sparked Rosa Parks to sit in the front of the bus. -
Sit-In at Woolworth’s
The Sit-In at Woolworth’s was four black American college students who sat at the “white only” seating of a restaurant refusing to move. Not only at Woolworth’s, but black Americans in the South would participate in the sit-in protests. These protest were very successful and used nonviolence. Black Americans would sit in the “white only” section of restaurants and refuse to move until being arrested. These protests brought the youth into the Civil Rights Movement. -
Freedom Riders
Freedom Riders were Civil Rights Activists who rode integrated buses through the South. Freedom Riders protested the segregation of public transportation. Some white Americans opposed these protests. White mobs would use violence and attack the buses. White mobs attacked both the Anniston and Birmingham bus, bombing the Anniston bus. This act of opposition caused destruction of the Freedom Riders and harmed many of the people on the bus. -
March On Washington
The March on Washington was a March of Civil Rights Activists down Washington DC. At this March, Martin Luther King Jr gave his famous “I Have A Dream Speech”. This match was a response to racial segregation and was a successful moment in the Civil Rights Movement for black Americans. -
Baptist Church Bombing
The Baptist Church bombing occurred when the KKK bombed a Baptist Church in Alabama. The bomb was put in the backside of the church and injured 20 people, but also killed four little girls. The KKK was a major force of opposition throughout the Civil Rights Movement. The KKK would lead mobs and riots, participate in lynchings, and were against the fair treatment of black Americans. Many Americans were outraged by the event. -
Bloody Sunday
On Bloody Sunday black Americans protested their right to vote. The black Americans marched across a bridge in Selma side by side on the sidewalk. This was crucial because the black Americans made it clear they were doing nothing wrong, and were being nonviolent. At the end of the bridge the protesters were met by the police force. The police stood as an opposition and attacked the group of peaceful protestors. Americans were shocked by the images of the beatings and gassing of the protestors. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr
Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated on April 4th, 1968. America was devastated by the death. MLK was a leader and king of the Civil Rights Movement and a pivotal role model for activists. After the death of MLK America began to fall back into segregation and take steps backwards. The momentum of the Civil Rights Movement began to slow after MlK’s death. -
Poverty Race
This map shows the poverty rate of white Americans and black Americans from 1966-2019. -
Wealth Race
This map shows the wealth race between white Americans and other Americans from 1963-2019. -
George Floyd
George Floyd’s death was a tragic event that sparked protests throughout the United States. The event brought up the discrimination black Americans still face. George Floyd was killed by a white police officer who was kneeled on George’s neck until he could not breath. George Floyd experienced police brutality and his death showed the opposition that black Americans still face today.