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Plessy v. Ferguson

Legalized “separate but equal”; upheld racial segregation in public facilities.

Thurgood Marshall

NAACP lawyer who argued Brown v. Board; later became first Black Supreme Court Justice.

NAACP

Used legal challenges to end segregation and promote civil rights (e.g., Brown v. Board).

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 case that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, ruling school segregation unconstitutional.

Little Rock Nine

Nine Black students integrated Central High School in Arkansas under federal troop protection.

Montgomery Bus Boycott / Rosa Parks

Sparked by Parks' arrest; year-long boycott led to desegregation of buses.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Leader of nonviolent protest; key figure in civil rights movement and SCLC founder.

Soul Force

MLK’s philosophy of nonviolence rooted in Christian love and Gandhi’s teachings.

Emmett Till

14-year-old boy lynched in Mississippi; his death galvanized national civil rights awareness.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

Civil rights organization led by MLK; focused on nonviolent protest and church-based activism.

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Youth-led civil rights group known for sit-ins and voter registration drives.

Sit-in

Nonviolent protest tactic where activists refused to leave segregated lunch counters.

Freedom Riders

Interracial activists rode buses to challenge segregated interstate travel in the South.

James Meredith & Ole Miss

First Black student to enroll at University of Mississippi; faced violent backlash.

March on Washington

Mass protest for jobs and freedom in 1963; MLK gave “I Have a Dream” speech.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Outlawed segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination.

Lyndon Johnson

President who signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Freedom Summer

1964 campaign to register Black voters in Mississippi; met with violence and intimidation.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Ended literacy tests and allowed federal oversight of voter registration.

24th Amendment

Abolished poll taxes in federal elections.

De facto segregation

Segregation by custom or tradition, not by law (e.g., neighborhoods, schools).

De jure segregation

Segregation enforced by law (e.g., Jim Crow laws).

Malcolm X

Nation of Islam leader who promoted Black self-reliance and criticized nonviolence.

Nation of Islam

Black nationalist group advocating for separation from white society.

Stokely Carmichael

Former SNCC leader who popularized the term “Black Power.”

Black Power

Philosophy encouraging racial pride, economic empowerment, and self-defense.

Black Panthers

Militant group formed to combat police brutality and provide community services.

Kerner Commission

Government report blaming white racism for urban riots and calling for reforms.

Urban riots causes

Racism, police brutality, poverty, poor housing and education, hopelessness.

Affirmative Action

Policies that aim to increase opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups.

Assassinations of MLK & RFK

Caused national grief, riots, and a weakened civil rights movement.

Cesar Chavez

Farmworker and labor leader who used nonviolence to fight for Latino workers’ rights.

United Farm Workers Organizing Committee

Union led by Chavez and Huerta; fought for better conditions and pay.

Chicano Movement

Mexican-American civil rights movement promoting education, voting rights, and pride.

American Indian Movement (AIM)

Used protests and occupations to demand land rights and cultural recognition.

AIM Strategies

Occupied Alcatraz, Wounded Knee; legal challenges; public demonstrations.

AIM Victories

Indian Self-Determination Act, land claims settled, Indian Education Act.

Asian American Civil Rights Movement

Fought racism through activism, created ethnic studies programs, pushed immigration reform.

Betty Friedan / The Feminine Mystique

Book that criticized traditional gender roles; sparked second-wave feminism.

Feminism

Belief in equal rights for women in all aspects of life.

Women in the workforce

Women entered and remained in jobs during and after WWII, demanding equality.

National Organization for Women (NOW)

Group that lobbied for gender equality, reproductive rights, and the ERA.

Gloria Steinem

Journalist and feminist who co-founded Ms. magazine and supported women’s rights.

Birth Control

Gave women more control over reproductive rights and personal freedom.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

Proposed constitutional amendment for gender equality; failed ratification.

Phyllis Schlafly

Conservative activist who opposed the ERA, arguing it harmed traditional families.

Disabled Rights Movement Goals

Equal access, anti-discrimination protections, public accommodations.

Disabled Rights Movement Victories

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act.

Gay Liberation Movement / Harvey Milk

Fought for LGBTQ+ rights and visibility; Milk was a pioneering openly gay politician.