Civil Rights Timeline by 2026Molly OBrien

Chicago Race Riots 1919

9962697 — 2024-02-22 19:08:32 UTC

One day on a beach a group of black kids were on a wooden raft just jumping off of it. The raft drifted to the "white" side of the beach creating white people throwing rocks at these black kids.

Eugene Williams, 17 years old, was hit with a rock to the head creating him to drown in the water.

This led to the Chicago Race Riots. These riots broke into 24 more cities across America creating the name the Red Summer.

Tulsa Massacre 1921

9962697 — 2024-02-22 19:21:06 UTC

Dick Rowland is a young black boy who is accused of raping a white girl named Sarah Paige on an elevator. The story became more exaggerated throughout people causing more violence between blacks and whites.

Emmett Till 1955

9962697 — 2024-03-08 15:44:54 UTC

Emmett Till is a 14 year old black kid who visited his aunt, uncle, and cousins in Money Mississippi. He and his cousins went to a general store and at the moment run by a white women. He was bragging how he had white women and then proceeded to whistle/hold her hand/call her baby (the story is mixed up) to the white women working. Word got around and he was kidnapped, brutally beaten, and killed by two white men. The story got around along with gruesome photos creating revolution in the Civil Rights movement.

End of the American Civil War/start of reconstruction 1865

9962697 — 2024-03-08 15:47:54 UTC

When the Civil War ended southern states reconstructed society and government. During the post-war period newly freed Americans social rights and political rights changed

Brown V. Board of Education 1954

9962697 — 2024-03-08 18:30:43 UTC

On May 17, 1954 the Supreme Court ruled that the segregation in schools was unconstitutional against the 14th Amendment. This court case happened when the Brown Family (a family of color) filed a case against the Topeka Board of Education arguing that it was unconstitutional.

Greensboro Four 1960

9962697 — 2024-03-21 18:30:33 UTC

Four boys went to a shop and sat on a stool that only white people were allowed to sit on. This led to more people participating in the non-violent sit-in. They were physically and mentally challenged by the opposers but they did not let up. The sit-in spread to 55 cities and 13 states.

Plessy V. Ferguson 1897

9962697 — 2024-04-01 17:26:51 UTC

Plessy tried to sit in the whites only section of a train leading to the case. The Supreme Court ruled against Plessy in the court case stating that "separate but equal" is constitutional.

Redlining 1985

9962697 — 2024-04-01 17:27:17 UTC

Redlining is denying people credit, mortgages, insurance loans, and more due to race. Most realtors withheld the credit, mortgages, insurance loans, and service to those in places people did not want to live so they could not advance out of the area. People of color were victims of this trickery.

Rosa Parks 1955

9962697 — 2024-04-01 17:27:43 UTC

December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks was arrested because she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. This was the start of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Little Rock 9 1957

9962697 — 2024-04-01 17:28:04 UTC

In 1957, nine teenagers are the first African American students to desegregate Little Rock Central High School. This is where they got the name "Little Rock 9." They faced a lot of racism but never gave in to the hate.

Civil Rights Act (JFK/LBJ) 1964

9962697 — 2024-04-01 17:29:15 UTC

President John F. Kennedy introduced the Civil Rights Act which after JFK got murdered Lyndon Johnson signed the bill. The bill was signed on July 2, 1964 which prohibited discrimination in public places and made employment discrimination illegal.

Selma (bloody Sunday) 1965

9962697 — 2024-04-01 17:29:25 UTC

A march was held in Selma, Alabama on March 7th 1965. In the march Law enforcement officers beat unarmed marchers along with tear-gassing them. This march was to protest the blocking of Americans right to vote which was a problem from racist rules due to the Jim Crow South.

Voting Rights Act 1965

9962697 — 2024-04-01 17:29:38 UTC

The Voting Rights Act if 1965 prohibited discrimination on a voter based on race, color, and minority group. This was signed on August 6th, 1965. The Selma marches led to the signing of this act.

The Stonewall Riots 1969

9962697 — 2024-04-01 17:31:26 UTC

In June 28, 1969 a fight between police and gay rights activist broke out outside of the Stonewall Inn (an illegal gay bar). This led to more riots for the LGBTQ+ Movement.

Montgomery Bus Boycott 1955

9962697 — 2024-04-01 17:33:32 UTC

The Boycott began on December 5th, 1955 which was the day of Rosa Parks' Trial and lasted 381 days. This was a way to stop segregation on the Montgomery busses after Rosa Parks refused to move from her seat to give it to a white person. This was maintained through organized community efforts including night meetings and black taxi service. It ended by leading to the U.S. supreme court justifying the segregation on busses unconstitutional.

The Green Book 1936

9962697 — 2024-04-03 14:52:08 UTC

The Green Book was created by Victor H. Green for Black travelers. During this time everyone wanted to travel but if you were a person of color it could be almost impossible to find places that accepted them. So this book did just that explaining places that a person of color could sleep, eat, get gas, and use the restroom without segregation.

Fair Housing Act 1968

9962697 — 2024-04-03 17:50:44 UTC

April 11, 1968 is when the Fair Housing Act was signed. This act prohibited discrimination with the sale, financing, and housing based on the race, religion, origin, sex, and national origin of a person/family.

Chicano Movement 1960s

9962697 — 2024-04-05 01:20:13 UTC

The purpose of the Chicano movement was to bring awareness to the way the Vietnam War affected the Chicano community. Chicano people were treated with discrimination inequality, unfair wages, educational segregation, and no voting rights.

John F. Kennedy Assassination 1963

9962697 — 2024-04-05 13:20:54 UTC

November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was assassinated. This occurred in Parkland Health, Dallas, TX.

Martin Luther King Assassination 1968

9962697 — 2024-04-05 13:35:48 UTC

April 4th, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated. This occurred in Lorraine Motel, in Memphis Texas.