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Emmett Till Murder
The Emmett Till murder was the brutal murder of a young African American boy in Mississippi. His open-casket funeral shocked the media and public and brought attention to the movement and what was happening to the people fighting. -
Freedom Rides
The Freedom Rides were bus rides taken by protestors who were fighting for a change in bus station segregation nd trying to draw attention to the movement. Both blacks and whites rode into the Deep South, where they challenged racial segregation and faced a lot of violence and discrimination. Start Date: May 4, 1961 – End Date: Late 1961 -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education was the court ruling that segregation in public schools was banned and unconstitutional. This overturned Plessy vs Ferguson and impacted the start of desegregation and -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Fuelled by Rosa Parks's arrest, the Montgomery Bus Boycott was a protest against bus segregation and discrimination. Black citizens refused to ride the buses, drawing attention to their fight for rights and leading to the outlawing of public bus segregation. Start Date: December 5, 1955 – End Date: December 20, 1956 -
Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine were nine students who had to be escorted into the Little Rock hischool where they were attempting to integrate. These students faced a lot of violence and rejection,n which brought a lot of attention to the integration attempt as well as how the government was involved. Start Date: September 4, 1957 – End of School Year: May 1958 -
Birmingham Protests
The Birmingham Protests were a series of protests that faced a lot of violence and attention. In these protests, many students were arrested and brutally sprayed with fire hoses. These protests aimed to demand fairer employment and helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Act. Start Date: April 3, 1963 – End Date: May 10, 1963 -
March on Washington
The March on Washington, a group of 250,000 people protesting for equal rights and jobs, marched in DC and included the famous Martin Luther King Jr "I have a dream" speech. This brought more national attention to the movement and build momentum for change. -
Freedom (Mississippi) Summer
People volunteered to travel to Mississippi to register black voters. Three activists were murdered and brought attention to the movement and the issues the people were facing when trying to seek justice. Start Date: June 1964 – End Date: August 1964 -
Lunch Counter Sit-ins
Lunch Counter Sit-ins started when 4 black students in Greensboro sat at a segregated white lunch counter and refused to leave. This form of peaceful protest sparked momentum for desegregation, the end of the Jim Crow laws, and motivated people to protest in similar ways. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was an act passed to legally ban segregation. This act banned segregation in any public place, in employment. This brought legal justice to the people fighting for freedom and began to promote change towards more equality. -
Selma Marches
The Selma Marches were marches of protesters from Selma to Montgomery to demand voting rights. These marches faced a lot of police brutality and drew a lot of attention from the media and government, and eventually led to the Voting Rights Act.
Start: March 7, 1965 (Bloody Sunday) – End: March 25, 1965 -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to end discrimination in voting. This act outlawed literacy tests and poll taxes, which aimed to bring more equality to voters. This act also gave federal authority to oversee places that had a history of discrimination.