Civil Rights Era Study Guide

Trace the development of the Civil Rights movement.

13th Amendment

freed all slaves in the United States

14th Amendment

equal protection for all men in the United States

15th Amendment

granted African Americans the right to vote

Plessy v. Ferguson

segregation was legal, as long as equal facilities were provided for both races

19th Amendment

granted women the right to vote

Truman’s Desegregation of the Armed Forces

desegregation of the United States military and aimed to establish equality of treatment and opportunity regardless of race

Brown v. Board of Education

separate but equal educational facilities for racial minorities is inherently unequal

Little Rock Nine Integrate

group of African-American students who were in the Little Rock Central High School following Brown v. Board of Education

Dr. King writes his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

response to a public statement of concern and caution issued by eight white religious leaders of the South

Dr. King gives his “I Have a Dream” Speech

His wish that people of different races could live together peacefully

Civil Rights Act of 1964

legislation that prohibited discrimination and aimed to end segregation in public places

Voting Rights Act of 1965

legislation that aimed to eliminate various barriers to voting for African Americans

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

a prominent leader in the Civil Rights Movement who advocated for nonviolent protest and equality for African Americans

Cesar Chavez

a labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers

Rosa Parks

civil rights activist whose refusal to give up her bus seat sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and led to a Supreme Court ruling against bus segregation.

Betty Friedan

feminist and author of "The Feminine Mystique" (1963), co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW)

Malcolm X

an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist who advocated for black empowerment and was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement.

Governor George Wallace

four-term Governor of Alabama known for supporting racial segregation and blocking Black students from enrolling at the University of Alabama in 1963

Governor Orval Faubus

known for blocking nine Black students from Little Rock Central High School in 1957

Dixiecrats

opposed civil rights, wanted to maintain white supremacy

Eugene “Bull” Connor

infamous for using brutal tactics to enforce racial segregation during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s