Civil Rights Movement Timeline by Reyli Sanchez-Zavala

The 13th Amendment // 1865

2007614 — 2024-05-06 15:10:51 UTC

Officially ratified in December 6, 1865, the 13th amendment made emancipation a national policy as opposed to only in confederate states as previously established by the Emancipation Proclamation, making massive progress in the abolition of slavery, though not entirely eliminating it through an exploitable "except as a punishment for crime" clause of the Amendment.

Plessy v. Ferguson // 1896

2007614 — 2024-05-06 15:24:17 UTC

On May 18th, 1896, the Supreme court gave its verdict on the Plessy v. Ferguson case, in which Homer Adolph Plessy, a man of mixed race refused to leave the vacant seat of a whites-only train car and was subsequently arrested, by declaring that separate-but-equal facilities were indeed constitutional and that the protections of the 14th Amendment did not cover "social rights." This case would ultimately set the precedent for later segregation laws and the Jim Crow era.

The 19th Amendment // 1920

2007614 — 2024-05-06 15:38:55 UTC

On August 18th, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified after a majority approval from three-fourths of states in America. The 19th Amendment declared that no citizen would be denied their right to vote on the basis of sex, and in November of the year it was passed, over 8 million women across the U.S voted for the first time, marking a significant turning point in the fight for equal rights of women.

Desegregation of Military // 1948

2007614 — 2024-05-06 15:52:10 UTC

On July 26 of 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed executive order 9981, which ordered equal treatment and opportunity for all in the military regardless of race, color, religion, or national origin. While African Americans had been allowed to serve in the military since the American Revolution, they had been relegated to menial roles and segregated units, making this order a large improvement for equal rights in and of itself, but also in improving greater perceptions in America of desegregation.

Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott // 1955

2007614 — 2024-05-06 16:02:49 UTC

On December 1st, 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a bus home from her job as a seamstress, sitting in a vacant "first come, first served" seat on the bus, and refused to move when asked to give up her spot for a white man. After her subsequent arrest, a Bus Boycott sparked in Montgomery, beginning December 5th and aided by Martin Luther King, Jr. The protest lasted roughly a year, and on December 20th, 1956, the Supreme Court held that segregation of seating was unconstitutional, creating a landmark success of protests in securing equal rights for all.

The Little Rock Nine // 1957

2007614 — 2024-05-06 16:18:27 UTC

On September 4th, 1957, nine teenage students who were to be the first African American students to attend the recently desegregated Little Rock Central High School were prevented from entering the school by both angry mobs and the National Guard as ordered by an Arkansas Governor. After another prevented attempt, on September 25th, 1957, the Little Rock Nine started regular attendance of the High School with the help of National Guard escorts. Though the students continued to face harassment afterwards, this event would set in motion the desegregation of schools across the U.S.

Sit-in Movement // 1960

2007614 — 2024-05-06 16:30:58 UTC

On February 1st, 1960, four African American college students in North Carolina entered a Woolworth's and sat at a lunch counter reserved for "whites only," being refused service despite being allowed to purchase items from their general store. The four refused to leave until closing time and returned the next day with more protestors, the movement sparking more "sit-in" protests across the city and other states, eventually leading to the desegregation of facilities across the U.S., as well as their local Woolworths on July 25th, 1960

March on Washington // 1963

2007614 — 2024-05-06 16:41:02 UTC

On August 28, 1963, close to 250,000 attended the March on Washington, a civil rights congregation which served to protest for equal rights as well as keep pressure on the Congress and President to pass major civil rights legislation that was pending at the time. The event famously exhibited Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech and was an important example of peaceful demonstration used to enact major change.

Civil Rights Act // 1964

2007614 — 2024-05-06 16:50:14 UTC

On July 2nd, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act, the most comprehensive law to date outlawing practices of discrimination in public places as well as the workplace. First proposed by President John F. Kennedy, the act was a landmark achievement not only against discrimination of African Americans, but also of people of any race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, later being expanded to include legislation such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Voting Rights Act // 1965

2007614 — 2024-05-06 17:02:26 UTC

On August 6th, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act, which prevents literacy tests from being used to deny the right to vote. The act's main goal was to prevent legal barriers from being used to deny African Americans their right to vote under the 15th Amendment, even after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The act also allowed the U.S government to oversee elections in southern states, which had a history of voter suppression, proving essential in the securing of the rights of African Americans to vote.

The Fair Housing Act // 1968

2007614 — 2024-05-06 17:10:25 UTC

On April 11th, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Fair Housing Act, also known as the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prevents the discrimination of sale, rental, and financing of housing due to aspects of race, religion, national origin, or sex. Though the bill, which was another addition to the Civil Rights act of 1964 was initially controversial in the Senate, it was passed by the House of Representatives shortly after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. This bill would mark the last of the major legislation passed in the civil rights movement.

Stonewall Riots // 1969

2007614 — 2024-05-06 17:24:41 UTC

On June 28th, 1969, the NYPD raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich Village, New York City, roughly dragging employees of the club and patrons out and starting riots from patrons and nearby residents alike which lasted six days as violent conflicts with the police and protests ensued. These riots would prove to be a spark for the greater gay rights movement in the U.S as well as the world.

The 26th Amendment // 1971

2007614 — 2024-05-06 17:36:20 UTC

On July 1st, 1971, the 26th Amendment went into effect, declaring that legal voting age would be lowered to 18, though the amendment would be officially signed by President Nixon on July 5th. The main argument for this law was that though U.S citizens were allowed to serve in the military at 18, they were not allowed to vote for the fate of the nation they were fighting for. The passing of this amendment would prove to have a major effect in the subsequent election, and marked a major win for youth rights in America.

Roe v. Wade // 1973

2007614 — 2024-05-06 17:52:03 UTC

On January 22d, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that the constitutional right to privacy included the decision of abortion in Roe v. Wade, a case in which Jane Roe, an unmarried woman, sought to challenge a Texas law which made abortion a crime unless a woman's life was at stake. This decision was held until June of 2022, when the Court overturned it and instead declared that there is no constitutional right to abortion. The devastating impact of this decision goes without saying, with states likely banning abortion in the future and forcing people to either carry out nonconsensual pregnancies or travel hundreds of miles to access legal abortion care.

Beginning of BLM Movement // 2012

2007614 — 2024-05-06 18:08:49 UTC

After the acquittal of George Zimmerman, a man who killed a black teenager in 2012, a resident of Oakland California, Alicia Garza posted a message on her Facebook describing the sadness and grief she felt at Zimmerman's acquittal, and the subsequent blaming of the victim, Trayvon Martin, which contained the now famous phrase "Black lives matter." This phrase would become a rallying cry for racial justice activists and protestors all over the country, not only for the case of Trayvon Martin, but for the killings of numerous other African Americans who would go on to die at the hands of police officers or would-be vigilantes. One major example of these incidents was the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, and because of incidents such as this the movement would go on to gain massive support and grow into a nationwide movement.