US History - Unit 3 - Civil Rights Movement

Redlining

A discriminatory practice by banks and the federal government in the 1930s-1960s that denied loans and insurance to people—especially Black families—living in certain neighborhoods, reinforcing racial segregation.

Tulsa Race Riot

A 1921 attack by white mobs on the prosperous Black community of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Hundreds were killed and "Black Wall Street" was burned to the ground.

Ku Klux Klan

A white supremacist group founded after the Civil War that used terror, violence, and intimidation to oppose Black civil rights and maintain white dominance.

Brown v. Board of Education

The 1954 Supreme Court case that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson and ending "separate but equal."

Emmett Till

A 14-year-old African American boy brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman. His open-casket funeral helped spark the modern Civil Rights Movement.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

A 1955-1956 protest sparked by Rosa Parks' arrest for refusing to give up her bus seat. African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama, refused to ride city buses until segregation ended.

Little Rock Nine

The nine Black students who integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957, facing violent resistance. President Eisenhower sent federal troops to protect them.

Sit-Ins

Peaceful protests where Black students sat at segregated lunch counters and refused to leave until served. Began in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1960 and spread nationwide.

Birmingham March

A 1963 campaign led by Martin Luther King Jr. and the SCLC to challenge segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. Police used fire hoses and dogs on protesters, shocking the nation.

March on Washington

The 1963 rally in Washington, D.C., where over 250,000 people gathered for civil and economic rights. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

Martin Luther King Jr.

A Baptist minister and leader of the Civil Rights Movement who promoted nonviolent protest. His speeches and leadership inspired major civil rights legislation.

Malcolm X

A Black Muslim leader who advocated for Black pride, self-defense, and separation from white society before later adopting a more inclusive view after his pilgrimage to Mecca.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Landmark law that banned segregation in public places and discrimination in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Selma March

A 1965 protest march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, demanding voting rights. Police attacked marchers on "Bloody Sunday," leading to national outrage and new voting protections.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Federal law that banned literacy tests and other discriminatory practices used to prevent Black Americans from voting, giving the federal government power to enforce voting rights.

Rodney King Riots

A 1992 series of riots in Los Angeles after four white police officers were acquitted for beating Black motorist Rodney King. The unrest exposed deep racial tensions and police brutality issues.