Landmark Civil Rights Milestones to Know for AP US History (copy)

Civil Rights Movement

A pivotal period in US history focused on the nonviolent struggle for racial equality and justice.

Emancipation Proclamation

A declaration issued by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 that declared freedom for enslaved people in Confederate territories.

13th Amendment

Ratified in 1865, it abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States.

14th Amendment

Enacted in 1868, it granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all people born or naturalized in the US.

15th Amendment

Ratified in 1870, it prohibited denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Plessy v. Ferguson

A 1896 Supreme Court case that upheld racial segregation under the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Brown v. Board of Education

A landmark 1954 Supreme Court case that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

A civil rights protest from 1955 to 1956 sparked by Rosa Parks' arrest, leading to the desegregation of public buses.

Little Rock Integration Crisis

The 1957 event where nine Black students were prevented from attending Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, highlighting opposition to desegregation.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Legislation that aimed to eliminate barriers to voting for African Americans, including literacy tests and poll taxes.

Shelley v. Kraemer

A 1948 Supreme Court ruling that stated courts could not enforce racial covenants, although housing discrimination continued.

Loving v. Virginia

A 1967 Supreme Court case that struck down laws prohibiting interracial marriage, advancing racial equality.

March on Washington

A 1963 rally where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his 'I Have a Dream' speech, advocating for civil and economic rights.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Legislation that prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin in various public domains.

Freedom Riders

Civil rights activists who rode interstate buses in the 1960s to challenge segregation in bus terminals.