Key Civil Rights Movements and Figures in U.S. History

Thurgood Marshall

The first African American Supreme Court Justice, known for his role in the Brown v. Board of Education case.

Rosa Parks

An African American civil rights activist known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott after refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger.

Plessy v. Ferguson

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

Voting Rights Act of 1965

A landmark piece of federal legislation that prohibited racial discrimination in voting, aimed at enforcing the voting rights guaranteed by the 14th and 15th Amendments.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

A significant law that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and ended segregation in schools and workplaces.

Brown v. Board of Education

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

Montgomery Bus Boycotts

A political and social protest campaign against racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama, initiated by Rosa Parks' arrest.

Freedom Rides

Civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States to challenge the non-enforcement of U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

Civil Disobedience

The active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, often used as a form of protest.

Civil Rights Act of 1968

Also known as the Fair Housing Act, it provided for equal housing opportunities regardless of race, creed, or national origin.

Roe v. Wade + Dobbs v. Jackson

Roe v. Wade (1973) was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that legalized abortion nationwide; Dobbs v. Jackson (2022) overturned Roe v. Wade.

Stonewall Riots

A series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the LGBTQ+ community against a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York City in 1969.

Stokely Carmichael

A civil rights activist known for his role in the Black Power movement and for popularizing the term 'Black Power'.

Affirmative Action

Policies that support members of disadvantaged groups that aim to promote equal opportunity in education and employment.

Black Power

A political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies aimed at achieving self-determination for people of African descent.

Sit-Ins

A form of protest where participants sit in a location and refuse to leave, often used to challenge segregation in public spaces.

Emmett Till

A 14-year-old African American boy whose lynching in 1955 became a catalyst for the civil rights movement.

LBJ

Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th President of the United States, known for his Great Society programs and civil rights legislation.

Nation of Islam

A religious and political organization that combines elements of Islam with Black nationalism, founded in the United States in the 1930s.

Black Panthers

A revolutionary socialist organization founded in 1966 that advocated for the rights of African Americans and community self-defense.

Black Panther Party Ten-Point Program

A set of guidelines created by the Black Panther Party outlining their demands for justice, equality, and social change.

Malcolm X

An African American Muslim minister and human rights activist known for his advocacy for the rights of Black Americans and his criticism of the civil rights movement's nonviolent approach.

Martin Luther King Jr.

A prominent leader in the American civil rights movement, known for his use of nonviolent civil disobedience and his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

An African American civil rights organization founded in 1957, led by Martin Luther King Jr., that played a key role in the civil rights movement.

Uprisings (ex: Watts, Detroit, etc.)

Civil disturbances and riots that occurred in various cities, often in response to racial discrimination and police brutality.

George Wallace

The Governor of Alabama known for his staunch segregationist policies and opposition to the civil rights movement.

March on Washington (1963)

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

NAACP

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a civil rights organization founded in 1909 to fight for racial equality.

Letter From Birmingham Jail

A letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963, defending the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism.

Beyond Vietnam

A speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1967, criticizing the Vietnam War and linking it to civil rights issues.

I've Been to the Mountaintop

A speech by Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the day before his assassination, reflecting on the civil rights struggle and his hopes for the future.

Little Rock Nine

A group of nine African American students who enrolled at Little Rock Central High School in 1957, facing violent opposition.

Selma

A city in Alabama that was the site of significant civil rights marches, particularly the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965.