Civil Rights Movement Timeline by Numa Patel (CH)

1954: Brown v. Board of Education

20324112 — 2024-03-04 17:38:54 UTC

The decision by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, declaring that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, which marked a significant victory during the civil rights movement. It overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine that the Court ruled during Plessy v. Ferguson.

1955: Montgomery Bus Boycott

20324112 — 2024-03-04 17:38:54 UTC

The Montgomery Bus Boycott began in 1955 after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man. This pivotal event galvanized the civil rights movement, demonstrating the power of peaceful protest.

1963: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

20324112 — 2024-03-04 17:38:54 UTC

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963 is most famous for Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. This massive protest demanded civil and economic rights for African Americans.

1964: Civil Rights Act

20324112 — 2024-03-04 17:38:54 UTC

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 ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, at the workplace, and by facilities that served the general public.

1965: Voting Rights Act

20324112 — 2024-03-04 17:38:54 UTC

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote under the 15th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. This act significantly reduced racial discrimination in voting.

1968: Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

20324112 — 2024-03-04 17:38:55 UTC

The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, was a moment of great sorrow and reflection for the civil rights movement. King's leadership and advocacy for nonviolent resistance and civil rights reform had a profound impact. His death spurred continued activism and reforms.

2023: Reexamination of Voting Rights and Civil Liberties

20324112 — 2024-03-04 17:38:55 UTC

In recent years, there has been a reexamination of voting rights and civil liberties in the United States. This reevaluation is ongoing and involves debates over voter ID laws, gerrymandering, and the rights of historically marginalized communities.

De Facto segregation - 1960

20324112 — 2024-03-06 06:08:49 UTC

De facto segregation refers to segregation that occurs by fact rather than by law. This type of segregation was prevalent in the United States for much of its history, particularly in the period following the Civil War and lasting well into the 20th century.

19th Amendment - 1920

20324112 — 2024-03-06 06:32:10 UTC

The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the United States and its states from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex, in effect recognizing the right of women to vote. Achieving this milestone required a lengthy and difficult struggle—victory took decades of agitation and protest.

De jure segregation - 1960

20324112 — 2024-03-06 06:36:32 UTC

De jure segregation in the United States was based on laws against things like marriage. This also includes laws against hiring people of the targeted ethnicity for jobs.

Central High - 1957

20324112 — 2024-03-06 06:44:22 UTC

In 1957, nine ordinary teenagers walked out of their homes and stepped up to the front lines in the battle for civil rights for all Americans. The media coined the name “Little Rock Nine" to identify the first African American students to desegregate Little Rock Central High School.

Roe v Wade - 1973

20324112 — 2024-03-06 06:54:57 UTC

Roe v. Wade, was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States generally protected a right to have an abortion. Women gained the right to end pregnancies, while states gained the right to restrict abortions.

13th Amendment - 1865

20324112 — 2024-03-06 06:58:09 UTC

The 13th Amendment forever abolished slavery as an institution in all U.S. states and territories. In addition to banning slavery, the amendment outlawed the practice of involuntary servitude and peonage. Involuntary servitude or peonage occurs when a person is coerced to work in order to pay off debts.

Affirmative Action - 1965

20324112 — 2024-03-06 07:09:17 UTC

Affirmative action is defined as a set of procedures designed to eliminate unlawful discrimination among applicants. It is also to remedy the results of such prior discrimination, and prevent such discrimination in the future.

14th Amendment - 1868

20324112 — 2024-03-06 07:14:33 UTC

The amendment states that no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Dred Scott v Sandford - 1857

20324112 — 2024-03-06 07:19:05 UTC

Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. 393, was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that held the U.S. Constitution did not extend American citizenship to people of black African descent, and therefore they could not enjoy the rights and privileges the Constitution conferred upon American citizens.

Bakke v. Regents - 1979

20324112 — 2024-03-06 07:32:59 UTC

This was a supreme Court case which held that a university's admissions criteria which used race as a definite and exclusive basis for an admission decision violated people's rights. This includes the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

15th Amendment - 1870

20324112 — 2024-03-06 07:35:38 UTC

The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government and each state from denying or abridging a citizen's right to vote "on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." It was ratified on February 3, 1870, as the third and last of the Reconstruction Amendments.

Plessy v Ferguson -1896

20324112 — 2024-03-06 07:38:45 UTC

A case in which the Supreme Court ruled that segregated, "equal but separate" public accommodations for blacks and whites did not violate the 14th amendment. This ruling made segregation legal.

Jim Crow Laws - 1870

20324112 — 2024-03-06 07:41:16 UTC

The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation. In practice, Jim Crow laws mandated racial segregation in all public facilities in the states of the former Confederate States of America