CR

1868

  • The 14th Amendment established US citizenship and guaranteed all persons "equal protection of the laws". It served as the primary constitutional basis for the movement’s legal challenges against segregation in schools and public facilities.

1896

  • Separate but equal was a legal doctrine established by the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision. It provided the legal foundation for the Jim Crow system of apartheid in the United States for over half a century.

Early 1900s–1950s (Jim Crow Era)

  • Jim Crow Laws were the legal and social structure that maintained white supremacy and segregated all aspects of life in the South. They formed the oppressive system that the movement spent over a decade dismantling.

  • Racial segregation (Jim Crow) was the comprehensive system of state-sanctioned separation of races in the American South. It was the primary target of the Civil Rights Movement, which used legal, social, and political pressure to end it.

  • The KKK (Ku Klux Klan) was a white supremacist group that used vigilante violence to maintain Jim Crow. Their significance was as a terrorist force that bombed churches and murdered activists to prevent racial equality.

  • The White Supremacist Viewpoint was held by those who believed in the inherent superiority of the white race. This ideology motivated the "Massive Resistance" and extreme violence, such as bombings and murders, used to defend the Jim Crow status quo.

NAACP Legal Strategy (1930s–1950s)

  • The NAACP is the oldest civil rights organization, focused primarily on legal and political advocacy. Its decades of work were significant in "killing Jim Crow" through the court system, culminating in the Brown victory.

  • Thurgood Marshall was the successor to Charles Houston as the chief legal strategist for the NAACP. His significance lies in leading the decades-long legal battle to overturn segregation, most notably arguing the Brown v. Board of Education case before the Supreme Court.

  • Thurgood Marshall was the chief of the NAACP's legal team and a future Supreme Court Justice. His significance was in crafting the legal path that turned the 14th Amendment into a tool for racial equality.

1950

  • Sweatt v. Painter (1950) was a Supreme Court case regarding the University of Texas School of Law. The Court ruled that no separate law school could ever be equal, which chipped away at the "separate but equal" doctrine and set a direct precedent for Brown.

1954

  • Brown v. Board of Education (1954) was the Supreme Court ruling that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal". It was a paradigm shift that legally ended school segregation and energized the broader Civil Rights Movement.

1955

  • Brown II (1955) was a follow-up Supreme Court ruling that ordered desegregation to proceed "with all deliberate speed". This significance of this vague phrase was that it encouraged inaction and allowed segregationists to delay integration for years.

  • The Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956) was a 382-day community-wide protest sparked by Rosa Parks. It was significant as the first large-scale action of its kind, leading to the desegregation of city buses and the rise of Martin Luther King, Jr..

  • Rosa Parks was an NAACP secretary whose refusal to move on a Montgomery bus launched the modern movement. Her significance is as the "mother" of the Civil Rights Movement, whose singular act of defiance sparked community-wide mass action.

1956

  • The Southern Manifesto (1956) was a document signed by 96 southern legislators vowing to oppose desegregation. It proved that resistance to Brown was not just a local problem but was supported by high-level political leaders.

  • Massive Resistance was a state policy in Virginia designed to block all integration by closing public schools. It showed the depth of white opposition and the lengths segregationists would go to preserve their way of life.

1957 – Little Rock Crisis

  • Little Rock Central High School (1957) was the site of a desegregation crisis. Its significance was in providing the first major test of whether the federal government would use military force to enforce the Brown decision.

  • The Little Rock Nine (1957) were the students chosen to integrate Central High School. Their extraordinary courage in the face of daily harassment became a national symbol of the struggle for equal education.

  • Governor Faubus was the Governor of Arkansas who chose interposition to block the integration of Central High School. His significance lies in triggering a national crisis by using the National Guard to defy federal court orders.

  • Governor Faubus used "mob rule" as a justification to block integration with state troops. His defiance made him the primary antagonist of the Little Rock crisis and forced a showdown with the President.

  • President Eisenhower / Dwight Eisenhower was the US President who initially took a cautious approach to civil rights. His significance was cemented when he sent the 101st Airborne Division to enforce school desegregation in Little Rock, asserting federal authority over state resistance.

  • Rule of law was a core principle for President Eisenhower, who believed the Constitution must be enforced as the Supreme Court interprets it.

  • The Capital Citizens Council (CCC) was a white supremacist organization in Little Rock. Its significance was in organizing public opposition to integration and pressuring the Governor to block the Little Rock Nine.

1958

  • Ernest Green (1958) was the only senior among the Little Rock Nine. He became the first African American student to graduate from Central High School.

Late 1950s–1960s (Movement Expansion)

  • The Supreme Court is the highest judicial body in the US, which Warren led through its most liberal era. It issued the landmark rulings that dismantled the legal basis of Jim Crow, from Brown to the validation of the Voting Rights Act.

  • Nonviolence was a strategy and philosophy rooted in Christianity and the methods of Mahatma Gandhi. It allowed the movement to claim the moral high ground by contrasting peaceful protest with white supremacist brutality.

  • The SCLC was an organization of African American ministers led by King. It was significant for training thousands of activists in non-violent resistance and coordinating major southern campaigns.

  • Martin Luther King Jr. was the leader of the SCLC and the most recognized voice of the movement.

1961

  • The Freedom Rides (1961) were integrated bus trips through the South to enforce desegregation in interstate travel. They were significant for forcing the ICC to issue a national ban on segregated travel and terminal facilities.

  • CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) was an interracial organization committed to non-violent direct action. It is significant for initiating the Freedom Rides.

  • The SNCC was a grassroots student group that focused on the rural South. They were significant for conducting high-risk "One Man, One Vote" campaigns and leading the integrated Freedom Summer.

1963

  • John F. Kennedy (1963) was the US President who proposed a comprehensive civil rights bill. He is significant for using national television to frame civil rights as a "moral issue".

  • The March on Washington (1963) was a mass demonstration for "Jobs and Freedom".

  • Letters from a Birmingham Jail (1963) was an essay where King responded to critics of his tactics.

1964

  • The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned discrimination in public accommodations and established equal employment standards.

  • Freedom Summer (1964) was the project to register voters and open Freedom Schools in Mississippi.

  • Preparations for the Project, Spring 1964 involved recruiting volunteers.

  • Volunteer Training, June 15–28, 1964 prepared activists for violence and arrest.

  • The Murders of Chaney, Goodman, Schwerner (1964) became a major national story.

  • Freedom Schools (1964) were established to teach literacy and leadership.

  • Voter Registration targeted disenfranchisement.

  • Local Black Residents supported activists and suffered retaliation.

  • Intimidation and Violence included bombings and murders.

  • The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) challenged the all-white delegation.

  • The Democratic National Convention Challenge, August 1964 brought national attention.

  • A Freedom Election demonstrated Black political participation.

  • The Mississippi Congressional Challenge continued pressure.

  • Reflecting Back on Freedom Summer showed its long-term impact.

1965

  • Selma (1965) was the site of a voting rights campaign.

  • The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed literacy tests and expanded voting access.

  • Lyndon B. Johnson was the President who passed major civil rights legislation.

  • The Assassination of Malcolm X (1965) marked a turning point toward Black Power.

Late 1960s

  • The Nation of Islam (NOI) promoted Black nationalism.

  • Malcolm X advocated "by any means necessary".

  • The Black Panthers (BPP) represented a shift toward militancy and self-defense.

1968

  • The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (1968) triggered nationwide unrest and accelerated further reforms.