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The National Party wins the 1948 election
This was a pivotal moment in South Africa's history that instigated the apartheid era, as the National Party and its prime minister, D.F. Malan, were heavily in favor of apartheid. The NP had two overarching aims: to impose white supremacy through complete immersion in apartheid and to end political ties with Britain, forming a republic. -
Durban riots begin
The cause of these riots is said to have been the Africans accusing Indian shopkeepers of exploiting them by over-charging them for food, but some argue that the real cause was the shocking conditions in which they lived, and Indians only fell victim for being in close proximity. Authorities did little to prevent these riots as long as white communities were not involved. -
The Defiance Campaign begins
The Defiance Campaign was non-violent and divided into two stages: an initial stage of local protest in which participants displayed civil disobedience, and a second stage based on mass defiance which would allow the campaign to grow through nationwide strikes and protests. The campaign resulted in the arrest of 8500 Africans in 6 months, but 8 million Africans remained uninvolved. -
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates schools
The passing of this law was a unanimous decision within the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Earl Warren stated that, even if the facilities of both schools were actually equal, the psychological effects of segregation would breed feelings of 'inferiority' which breached black children's rights to 'equal protection under the law'. -
Forced removals from Sophiatown begin
The Group Areas Act of 1950 required all land ownership to be registered, and authorized the government to designate any are to a specific group, force evicting members outside of that group. This occurred in Sophiatown, a well-integrated town whose black residents were relocated to 'Meadowlands' by force, 3 days earlier than predicted to prevent an uprising. -
Rosa Parks is arrested in Montgomery, Alabama
On this day, Rosa Parks had boarded one of Montgomery's segregated buses and immediately sat in the white section, refusing to move when asked, which ultimately resulted in her arrest. This instigated the Montgomery Bus Boycott, one of the most well-known civil rights protests that would last over a year. -
The Treason Trial defendants arrested
156 members of the Kliptown meeting were arrested and charged with high treason; this group included the entirety of the ANC's leadership and most other opposition groups. They were accused of conspiring to overthrow the government and replace it with Communism. The trial began in August of 1959 and ended in March 1961 with all defendants acquitted. -
The USSC rules segregated buses unconstitutional
The bus company's segregated transport was deemed unconstitutional as a violation of the 14th Amendment, which guaranteed 'equal protection of the laws' for all citizens. The push for the desegregation was supported primarily by Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP. After this day, when the bus company finally backed down, King, Nixon, and other leaders had taken their first ride on a desegregated bus, officially marking the day the Montgomery Bus Boycott became a success. -
Mob in Little Rock, Arkansas
Nine students of Central High School had expected troops of the National Guard, sent by State Governor Orval Faubus, to protect them upon entering school, but it was actually those troops who barred the doors to keep them out. President Eisenhower, with so much attention on Little Rock, had no choice but to neutralize the situation by sending in 1200 paratroopers to escort the students into the school, infuriating the South. -
The sit-ins begin
The sit-ins began when four polished black students in Greensboro, North Carolina, sat down at a whites-only lunch counter and were refused service. They continued with their studies and read the Bible until the store closed. With each passing day, more students joined them. They were harassed by whites every day, yet demonstrated only nonviolence. The movement was premeditated with the intention of taking direct action that was nonviolent; it later resulted in the formation of SNCC. -
Chief Luthuli wins the Nobel Peace Prize
During this time, Luthuli was under arrest during the Treason Trial. He was given ten days' grace to travel to Oslo accept the Nobel Peace Prize. Luthuli was a critical member of the ANC; during the Defiance Campaign, he encouraged volunteers and addressed rallies. His role caused conflict because he was both a Chief and in the ANC, two opposing roles, as chiefs were not meant to be defiant. He was ultimately dismissed as chief and placed under banning orders. -
Freedom Ride bus bombed in Anniston, Alabama
The Freedom Rides began when thirteen volunteers, seven black and six white, sat together on a bus journey from Washington DC to New Orleans without segregating. At bus terminals, they used the facilities inverse of their skin color. This was met with hostility and, in Anniston, Alabama, a mob firebombed a Freedom Ride bus. The remaining activists who were not hospitalized continued to Birmingham, Alabama, where they met another mob. -
Nelson Mandela is arrested for traveling without a passport
Mandela was accused of incitement to strike and traveling abroad without a passport; with no defense, he did not resist and was sentenced to five years in prison without parole. He was imprisoned at Robben Island and became the prime defendant in the Rivonia Trial in October of 1963, gaining international attention. -
President Lyndon B Johnson passes the Civil Rights Act
President Lyndon B Johnson had a vision of the 'Great Society', a society without poverty or inequality, and wanted to uphold former President Kennedy's civil rights legislation. He knew that ceasing racial tension would attract business and bring economic improvement to the South; he supported the USSC ruling in Brown v. Board of Education and did not sign the Southern Manifesto. On this day, the Civil Rights Act was passed with 110 out of 400 voting against it.