Key Events and Legislation in the Civil Rights Movement

13th Amendment

Abolished slavery in the United States (1865).

14th Amendment

Granted citizenship and equal protection (1868).

15th Amendment

Granted voting rights to former male slaves (1870).

Plessy v. Ferguson

Established 'separate but equal' doctrine (1896).

Jackie Robinson

First African American in Major League Baseball (1947).

Desegregation of Military

Truman's order ending military segregation (1948).

Sweatt v. Painter

NAACP case for African American law school access (1950).

Brown v. Board of Education

Declared school segregation unconstitutional (1954).

Thurgood Marshall

First African American Supreme Court Justice (1967).

Emmett Till

Murdered boy whose death sparked civil rights activism.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Protest against bus segregation initiated by Rosa Parks.

Rosa Parks

Civil rights activist known for bus refusal (1955).

E.D. Nixon

Local leader in organizing Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Jo Ann Robinson

Key figure in planning the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Civil Rights Movement

Social movement for racial equality in the U.S.

NAACP

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Separate but Equal

Doctrine allowing racial segregation if facilities are equal.

Civil Rights Legislation

Laws aimed at ending discrimination and segregation.

Public Facilities

Government-owned spaces subject to segregation laws.

Economic Pressure

Strategy to influence change through financial means.

Segregated Bus

Public transportation system divided by race.

Open Casket Funeral

Funeral style that displayed Till's disfigured body.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

381-day protest against bus segregation in Montgomery.

Browder v. Gayle

Supreme Court ruling declaring segregated buses unconstitutional.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Leader advocating civil disobedience against unjust laws.

Civil Rights Act (1957)

Legislation aimed to increase African American voting rights.

Jim Crow Laws

State laws enforcing racial segregation in the South.

Civil Rights Commission

Federal body created to register African American voters.

Little Rock Nine

Group of nine students integrating Central High School.

Orval Fabus

Arkansas Governor who opposed school desegregation.

Daisy Bates

NAACP leader and mentor to Little Rock Nine.

Elizabeth Eckford

First student of Little Rock Nine to face hostility.

Ernest Green

First African American to graduate from Central High.

Ruby Bridges

First African American child at William Frantz Elementary.

Barbara Henry

Ruby Bridges' teacher who supported her education.

Sit-ins (1960)

Nonviolent protests at segregated lunch counters.

Greensboro Four

Students who initiated the sit-in movement at Woolworth's.

SNCC

Student-led organization promoting nonviolent protests.

Freedom Rides

Interracial bus rides challenging segregation in the South.

CORE

Congress of Racial Equality, organized Freedom Rides.

John Lewis

Iconic civil rights leader and Freedom Rider.

James Zwerg

White Freedom Rider beaten in Montgomery for desegregation.

Diane Nash

Key organizer of Freedom Rides and SNCC leader.

Warren Hudgins

White participant in Freedom Rides, faced violence.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Leader of the civil rights movement, advocate for nonviolence.

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

MLK's letter explaining urgency for civil rights.

Children's March

SCLC-organized march involving children under 18.

Eugene 'Bull' Connor

Birmingham Police Chief known for violent repression.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Legislation prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations.

March on Washington

1963 demonstration for jobs and freedom, 200,000 participants.

I Have a Dream

MLK's famous speech advocating for racial equality.

Lyndon B. Johnson

President who advanced civil rights legislation post-Kennedy.

Freedom Summer

1964 initiative to increase voter registration in Mississippi.

Congress on Racial Equality (CORE)

Civil rights organization focused on nonviolent protests.

Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Youth-led organization advocating for civil rights.

Mississippi Burning

Murder of civil rights workers Chaney, Goodman, Schwerner.

Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

White supremacist group involved in violent attacks.

Malcolm X

Spokesman for Nation of Islam, advocate for Black Power.

Black Power

Movement emphasizing racial pride and self-defense.

Black Panthers

Militant group advocating for African American rights.

Birmingham Jail

Location where MLK wrote his influential letter.

Gaston Motel

Site firebombed by KKK during Birmingham protests.

Federal troops

Military forces called to restore order in Birmingham.

Civil rights activists

Individuals fighting for racial equality and justice.

Violent attacks

Systematic violence against civil rights workers in Mississippi.

JFK assassination

Event that led to LBJ's presidency and civil rights push.

Black Panther Party

Advocated for immediate change in civil rights.

Bloody Sunday

1965 march violence at Edmund Pettus Bridge.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Legislation ensuring voting rights for minorities.

Affirmative Action

Policies to increase minority representation in workplaces.

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

Supreme Court case on affirmative action in admissions.

Mendez V. Westminster School District

1947 ruling against segregation of Mexican American children.

Delgado V. Bastrop ISD

1948 case making segregation illegal in Texas.

Hernandez V. Texas

1954 ruling for jury inclusion of Mexican Americans.

White V. Regester

1973 ruling for fair voting district representation.

Edgewood ISD V. Kirby

1984 case mandating equitable school funding.

Selma to Montgomery March

1965 march advocating for voting rights.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Leader of non-violent civil rights movement.

SCLC

Southern Christian Leadership Conference, civil rights organization.

SNCC

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, youth civil rights group.

LBJ

Lyndon B. Johnson, President who signed civil rights legislation.

Ghettos

Inner-city slums where African Americans were forced to live.

Billy Graham

Christian leader supporting civil rights and desegregation.

Reverse Discrimination

Claim that affirmative action discriminates against majority groups.

Urban Poverty

Economic hardship affecting inner-city African American communities.

Civil Rights Movement

Struggle for social justice and equality for minorities.

March 7, 1965

Date of the first Selma to Montgomery march.

3,200 Marchers

Number of participants in the second Selma march.

54 Miles

Distance from Selma to Montgomery during the marches.