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Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in Montgomery - December 1st, 1955

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Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in Montgomery - December 1st, 1955

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When Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in 1955, she would become a famous icon of African-American civil rights. Her actions inspired community leaders to facilitate a bus boycott that same year, which would stand as a lasting symbol for the black community. Rosa Parks's struggle for equality would be long fought and hard-won, however, was still commonplace. It was ultimately because of this act of bravery, however, that things would change, and it started with one person who had chosen to stand up for equality and freedom.

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Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated - April 4th, 1968

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Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated - April 4th, 1968

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A key leader in the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr., was shot while standing on a hotel balcony. After the noise was heard, King was rushed to the hospital and died one hour later. Despite this, King will always be remembered not for his death but for what he accomplished during his life. King stood up to tyranny and segregation with his powerful words, which marked a difference and made change. It's because of who Martin Luther King Jr. was when he was alive, what he stood for, and how he fought for his beliefs that we celebrate his life every year on January sixteenth.

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Three-fifths compromise - June 11th, 1787

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Three-fifths compromise - June 11th, 1787

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As determining population was a trivial topic between the free North and the Slave owning South, delegates from the North attempted to gain more power in the House of Representatives. This was achieved with a proposition that only free people be counted towards a state's total population, but the issue was disputed. Deciding one way or another was unlikely to bring about a result, so the South and North eventually proposed the three fifth's compromise. The compromise allowed three fifth's of the South's enslaved people to be counted towards a state's total population. This gave more representation to the South in the House of Representatives, causing them to have more control over taxes.

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Loving v Virginia- U.S. Supreme Court - June 12th, 1967

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Loving v Virginia- U.S. Supreme Court - June 12th, 1967

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One black woman Mildred Jeter and a white man Richard Loving were married in Virginia. The laws at the time had banned interracial marriages, so they were both sentenced to one year in jail. The judge, however, agreed to suspend the case if the Loving's left Virginia and didn't return for the next twenty-five years. Following their departure, the Supreme Court made marriage between races constitutional, which was another step for African civil rights.

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The end of Jim Crow Laws was a culmination of African-Americans civil rights gaining more power from Brown v. Board of Education, the 15th Amendment, African-American integration into the armed forces, the Voting Rights Act, etc. The end of World War II also worked towards ending Jim Crow Laws. It was at this time (after WW II) that more civil rights activities began to occur. Among these, exercising the right to vote was a prominent cause to protest for.

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March from Selma to Montgomery - March 7th, 1965

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March from Selma to Montgomery - March 7th, 1965

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In the face of segregation, African-Americans wanted to ensure their constitutional right to vote by marching from Selma to Montgomery in peaceful protest. Despite violent resistance blocking their path, the protesters didn't stop; they persevered onward. Just days later, thousands more would join the march en route to Alabama's state capitol where they came with a petition for Governor George Wallace to sign. Congress later passed the Voting Rights Act which strengthened the constitutional rights of the fifteenth Amendment.

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Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” Speech - August 28th, 1963

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Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” Speech - August 28th, 1963

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As one of the most prominent civil rights activists, Martin Luther King Jr. gave one of the most famous and influential speeches of all time. In his cry for African-American freedom and equality, he used his words to empower the hundreds of thousands around him toward a more equal future. Those words still live on today and continue to mark a turning point in the civil war. King will forever be remembered for his "I Have a Dream" speech in which a call for equality and freedom was heard.

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Letter from Birmingham Jail - April 12th, 1963

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Letter from Birmingham Jail - April 12th, 1963

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In Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a masterpiece about people's moral responsibility. In his letter, King describes that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, " by which he means action is required for change to occur. King's letter would go on to be published in many books and newspapers. As a leading voice in the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr. fought for African-American freedom and equality through his actions and empowering words, the letter being among various examples of his determination.

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Greensboro Four Lunch Counter Sit-ins - February 1st, 1960

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Greensboro Four Lunch Counter Sit-ins - February 1st, 1960

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At a white's-only lunch counter four men sat politely and waited for service. Many of the staff working at the lunch counter in Greensboro were unsure how to enforce the white-only rule, and upon asking the four men to leave multiple times, they refused. Eventually, the shop was closed early, forcing the men to leave. Though it was a small victory, the act of resilience sparked a sit-in movement to spread across fifty-five cities and thirteen states, and the same result occurred at nearly each one. African civil rights would be fought for at lunch counters across the country, proving an asset to the fight for African civil rights.

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As the Brown v. Board of Education ruling made segregation in public schools unconstitutional, nine black students were enrolled in an all-white high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. On the student's first day at school, their entrance was blocked by the national guard. In retaliation, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent federal troops to ensure the student's safe passage in and out of the school and also assigned each student a bodyguard for protection. Due to these acts, eight of the nine African-American students graduated from a segregated school (Little Rock High). This would be a date that (mostly) marked the end of segregation in public schools.

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The Bus Boycott sparked by Rosa Parks just four days earlier was a civil rights protest that would see many African-Americans refusing to ride city buses. This was done to protest segregation being enforced on buses as (in Montgomery Alabama) African-Americans were required to sit at the back of a bus and had to give up their seat if a Caucasian requested. The demonstration of retaliation proved to be a success as nearly three hundred and eighty-one days later, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was unconstitutional. This eliminated barriers in the transportation of African-Americans, as the Supreme Court's ruling saw lasting change.

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Brown vs. Board of Education -  May 17th, 1954

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Brown vs. Board of Education -  May 17th, 1954

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This event was another major milestone in black rights as it ended segregation in schools. This event overruled the Plessy v. Ferguson case from about sixty years earlier that had overturned African-Americans as separate but not equal. Despite this success, there was still resistance as some believed that the Supreme Court had overstepped its boundaries, many of whom were constitutional scholars or segregationists.

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In 1948 President Harry S. Truman signed executive order 9981 that would ban segregation in the armed forces. At the time there were around one million African-Americans in the Armed Forces, and order 9981 was crucial to the steady rise of that number throughout the years. The order also marked the end of segregation in the Armed forces. This was another step for African-American equality and freedom.

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In Scottsboro, a fight had broken out between passengers on a Southern Railroad. Police would go on to arrest nine black teenagers on a small charge. Upon questioning, however, the nine boys were accused of raping two white women. The boys would be taken to many court hearings facing differing and convoluted sentences. In the end, all nine of them were saved from execution after long prison sentences, released from prison, or escaped it by 1946. This was because a Supreme Court ruling decided that allegations of the women being raped were actually made up.

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Plessy vs. Ferguson- U.S. Supreme Court - May 18th, 1896

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Plessy vs. Ferguson- U.S. Supreme Court - May 18th, 1896

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Under the Separate Car Act, it was required that there were separate railroad cars for blacks and whites in Louisiana. However, a group of New Orleans residents sought to repeal the act. To do this Homer Plessy (an eight-year-old African-American) was recruited to violate the white-only car rule. In court, a judge found that "insofar as it affected railroads within its boundaries" Plessy was guilty. The judge's verdict was that the state law of Louisiana was constitutional. This was a ruling in which blacks were separate but not equal, largely due to segregation in the South.

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Like Black Codes, Jim Crow Laws legalized racial segregation, which denied blacks many rights and freedoms compared to their white counterparts. Specifically, these laws were a collection of state and local statutes meant to demean African- Americans. Opportunities lost to them through this segregation included the right to vote, get an education, hold jobs, etc. Those who attempted to defy Jim Crow Laws often faced arrest, jail sentences, or even death.

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15th Amendment Passed -  February 26th, 1869

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15th Amendment Passed -  February 26th, 1869

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Similar to the thirteenth and fourteenth amendments, the fifteenth amendment increased African-American's civil rights and overall freedom. Unlike them, however, the fifteenth amendment abolished acts of discriminatory voting, which gave male blacks voting rights. Moreover, the fifteenth amendment allowed black males to run for office. These advancements rights aimed toward freedom and equality for African-Americans.

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In addition to the thirteenth amendment, the fourteenth amendment mainly granted citizenship to freedmen (freed slaves) born in the US. The amendment also provided "equal protection under the laws" for blacks and whites aside. Despite the amendment's importance, many saw it as an addition to the thirteenth amendment. Because of this, many Southern states refused to sign and/or endorse the fourteenth amendment.

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First Civil Rights Act Passed - April 6th, 1866

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First Civil Rights Act Passed - April 6th, 1866

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The Civil Rights Act passed in eighteen sixty-six granted all US citizens "the full and equal benefit of all laws and proceeding for the security of person and property." This was one of the first preceding steps to further progress African-American civil rights after ratifying the thirteenth amendment. The Act ended segregation in public places and prohibited biased or unfair employment based on one's origins or attributes. It was also described as a crucial legislative achievement for the civil rights movement.

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Though slavery had ended, many states in the South (especially those that had succeeded) were still unwilling to let freedmen (blacks) live as equals in society. Because of this Southern states such as South Carolina and Texas created Black Codes. These codes essentially limited a black person's freedom through land ownership, civil rights, freedom to travel, etc. This worsened tensions in the South and caused conflicts due to the ongoing segregation greatly influenced by The Black Codes.

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Although it didn't initially pass through Congress, Lincoln persisted and eventually got the thirteenth amendment ratified. The amendment was the final step in abolishing slavery and was another step towards equality and freedom for blacks. The amendment stated, "The United States shall thenceforward, and forever [be] free." Its success, though unrivaled, still did not stop the increased racism and segregation of black people that would continue for about the next century.

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Emancipation Proclamation- January 1st, 1862

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Emancipation Proclamation- January 1st, 1862

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With the Civil War between the North and the South ongoing, the Emancipation Proclamation revived hope for the North's motive to fight. The document stated that all slaves in the rebellious Southern states were freed, and that black men could now sign up for the military. Because of this every Union victory going forward, more blacks would sign up to preserve the Union to help fight for their people. The new meaning that the war had been given was freedom.

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Slavery first instituted in Jamestown Virginia- 1619, late August

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Slavery first instituted in Jamestown Virginia- 1619, late August

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Referred to as the nation's "original sin," the introduction of Slavery in Jamestown Virginia marked the beginning of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. While traveling to Spain, two privateer ships attacked a ship full of prisoners, and one sixth of the prisoners were captured. The two privateer ships, The White Lion and The Treasurer along with their new black prisoners, would end up landing in a Virginia colony. It's there they would sell the prisoners for food and other supplies. The prisoners originally arrived as indentured servants (who would be free after their contracts ended), and many of the prisoners were forced to continue working long after their contracts expired. This was due to segregation between higher and lower classes, and a need for workers to harvest cash crops such as tobacco, cotton, and sugar.