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Creation of the NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded on February 12, 1909, in New York City. It was established by an interracial group of activists in response to the Springfield race riot of 1908. The NAACP aimed to secure the rights guaranteed in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution for all people. -
Jackie Robinson Breaks the Color Barrier
On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson made history by becoming the first African American player in Major League Baseball when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the color barrier in the sport. This day is now celebrated as Jackie Robinson Day, and MLB players across all teams wear his iconic number 42. -
Scottsboro Boys
The "Scottsboro Boys" refers to nine African American teenagers who were falsely accused of rape in 1931 in Scottsboro, Alabama. This case became a landmark legal battle, highlighting racism and the struggle for fair trials in the United States. The musical "The Scottsboro Boys," based on this event, also explores these themes. -
Letter from a Birmingham Jail
a defense of nonviolent civil disobedience and a challenge to the white moderates who criticized the Civil Rights Movement. He argues that individuals have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws and that direct action is necessary to create the tension needed to force those in power to confront issues of injustice. King also criticizes the white church for its complacency and failure to adequately address the issue of racial injustice. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr., an American civil rights activist, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m at age 39. Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education was a landmark 1954 Supreme Court case that outlawed racial segregation in public schools. The ruling overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a nonviolent protest that took place from December 1955 to December 1956. It was a response to racial segregation on the city buses in Montgomery, Alabama. The boycott is considered a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement. -
The Murder of Emmitt Till
He was shopping at a store owned by Roy and Carolyn Bryant—and someone said he possibly whistled at Mrs. Bryant, a white woman. At some point around August 28, he was kidnapped, beaten, shot in the head, had a large metal fan tied to his neck with barbed wire, and was thrown into the Tallahatchie River. -
The Little Rock 9
The Little Rock Nine were nine African American teenagers who courageously enrolled at Little Rock Central High School in 1957, defying racial segregation. This act triggered the Little Rock Crisis, a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement, when Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus mobilized the National Guard to prevent their entry, leading to a standoff with federal troops. -
Ruby Bridges desegregate elementary school in New Orleans
She was the first African American child to attend formerly whites-only William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana during the New Orleans school desegregation crisis on November 14, 1960. She is the subject of a 1964 painting, The Problem We All Live With, by Norman Rockwell. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark law that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. It was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
On stage at the Audubon Ballroom on February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was gunned down as his pregnant wife and four daughters took cover in the front row. Three members of the Nation of Islam—Mujahid Abdul Halim, Muhammad A. Aziz and Khalil Islam—were soon after charged with first-degree murder. -
Creation of the Black Panthers
The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense (BPP) was founded in October 1966 in Oakland, California by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, who met at Merritt College in Oakland. It was a revolutionary organization with an ideology of Black nationalism, socialism, and armed self-defense, particularly against police brutality. -
Thurgood Marshall Named Supreme Court Justice
On August 30, 1967, Thurgood Marshall becomes the first African American to be confirmed as a Supreme Court justice. He would remain on the Supreme Court for 24 years before retiring for health reasons, leaving a legacy of upholding the rights of the individual as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. -
Election of Barack Obama
Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 4, 2008. The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, and Joe Biden, the senior senator from Delaware, defeated the Republican ticket of John McCain, the senior senator from Arizona, and Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska.