Civil Rights Movement

Civil Rights Movement Events:

• Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

This was also known as the "greatest decision of the Supreme Court in the 20th century." This trial was about children that are segregated in public schools. The Supreme court believed that this was violated the 14th amendment and tried to desegregate it. Although, it did not succeed, it showed that the Constitution was all for racial equality.

The First day of desegregation, at Fort Myer Elementary School, on September 8,1954.

• The 1955-1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott

This was a major achievement in racial desegregation. With Rosa Parks getting arrested and Martin Luther King Jr. leading the way, he asked the people who were affected by racial discrimination in the buses, to act with nonviolence to solve this problem. It worked, after almost 13 months of protest, the Supreme Court finally deemed that segregation in the buses was unconstitutional and fixed this problem. This was the major steps that many people took, to break down many walls of racial segregation.

Rosa Parks is the one sitting in the bus. She was the one who ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycott to start.

• The 1957-1958 Little Rock School Crisis

"Nine African American students, Minnijean Brown, Terrance Roberts, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo, Gloria Ray, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls" wanted to try and integrate their high school in Little Rock. Many people thought this was outrageous. White mobs formed outside the school, telling them that they should go back to their own kind. As things got worse, President Eisenhower orders police to protect the students, and allowed them to pursue their goals.

Police outside Little Rock Central High School, in protection of those African Americans who wished to attend this school.

• The sit-ins and freedom rides of the early 1960s

As the Civil Rights Movement, was progressing very successfully, more and more people decided to take the peaceful protest direction. Four African American college students decided to enter and sit in an all-whites lunch counter. They were refused anything that they ordered, so in protest they just sat there peacefully. This started many sit-ins where people would enter, and just sit there until closing time. Many student activists were then born.

Student Activists who sat in the reserved areas for white people, waiting for their turn.

• The 1963 civil rights protest in Birmingham

Many protests happened which caused much uncertainty within the white community. They wanted the police to keep arresting these violators. As more and more people got arrested, someone had to take the blame, and so Martin Luther King Jr. decided to do the faithful act. When he got out, James Bevel proposed that he use students as an example of the segregation in the world. These pictures that were shown of the students getting assaulted and blasted with fire hoses, it drew attention to the south, and finally allowed desegregation to commence.

Violent acts that were put upon the many students who peacefully protested. They were sometimes hit by a fire hose such as this picture, and sometimes even worse.

• The 1963 March on Washington

On this march, people protested for civil and economic rights for African Americans. During this day, August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his speech "I Have A Dream," to the people in Washington, D.C. to call for the end of racism. These acts helped make President John F. Kennedy, to initiate civil rights bill in the congress.

Martin Luther King Jr. delivering his memorable speech "I Have A Dream" to the people of D.C.