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Creation of the NAAC
The NAACP, or National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was founded on February 12, 1909, in New York City. It was established by an interracial group of activists, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Mary Church Terrell, and others, to fight against racism and violence against people of color. The NAACP's primary goal was to ensure political, educational, social, and economic equality for all, particularly African Americans. -
Scottsboro Boys
The "Scottsboro Boys" were nine young Black men falsely accused of raping two white women on a train in Alabama in 1931. The case became a landmark example of racial injustice in the U.S. legal system, leading to multiple trials and retrials over decades. Despite strong evidence of their innocence, eight of the nine were initially sentenced to death by all-white juries. -
Jackie Robinson Breaks the Color Barrier
On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color barrier, becoming the first African American player to play in the major leagues. This landmark event occurred when he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Boston Braves. Robinson's courageous decision and performance faced immense racial hostility, but he persevered, earning the Rookie of the Year award and solidifying his place as a civil rights icon. -
The Murder of Emmitt Till
In August 1955 two Mississippians bludgeon and kill Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black boy, for whistling at a white woman; their acquittal and boasting of the atrocity spur the civil rights cause. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
In the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education, decided by the US Supreme Court in 1954, the Court ruled that state-sponsored segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson. The decision, delivered in a unanimous 9-0 ruling, held that segregated schools were inherently unequal and violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a significant civil rights protest in Montgomery, Alabama, where African Americans refused to ride city buses in protest of segregated seating. This nonviolent resistance lasted from December 5, 1955, to December 20, 1956, and is considered a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement. -
The Little Rock 9
The Little Rock Nine were nine African American students who, in 1957, were the first to integrate Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. This act sparked a major crisis as the state governor, Orval Faubus, initially deployed the Arkansas National Guard to prevent their entry, while President Eisenhower later federalized the Guard to ensure their protection and the school's integration -
Ruby Bridges desegregate elementary school in New Orleans
African American children in New Orleans were given a test, and only those who passed were allowed to enroll in all-white public schools. Bridges passed the test and became the only one of the six eligible students to desegregate Frantz Elementary. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. It prohibited discrimination in employment, public accommodations, federally assisted programs, and voting. The act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964. -
Creation of the Black Panthers
The Black Panther Party (BPP), later shortened to the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was founded in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California. Inspired by the Black Power movement and the Lowndes County Freedom Organization's use of the black panther symbol, the BPP was a revolutionary organization with a focus on Black nationalism, socialism, and armed self-defense, particularly against police brutality. -
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. -
Letter from a Birmingham Jail
In "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King Jr. defends his nonviolent civil rights campaign against criticism from white clergymen who urged patience and court action over direct action. King argues for the urgency of addressing segregation and explains his rationale for breaking unjust laws, emphasizing the moral obligation to fight for justice. He also critiques moderate supporters who are sympathetic in theory but not in practice. -
Thurgood Marshall Named Supreme Court Justice
Justice Thurgood Marshall: First African American Supreme Court Justice. On June 13, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated distinguished civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall to be the first African American justice to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr
Martin Luther King Jr was the most prominent civil rights leader in the United States in the 1960s. He was shot by an assassin in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. After the shooting he was taken to a local hospital where he had an unsuccessful resuscitation for a right subclavian artery transection. -
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.