The Civil Rights Movement

Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme court ruled that separate but equal law did not violate the 14th amendment, which guaranteed all Americans equal treatment under the law. Separate but equal facilities were ok

Brown v. Board of Education A 1954 case in which the Supreme court ruled that separate but equal education for black and white students was unconstitutional. It overturned Plessy v. Ferguson.

Rosa Parks and Bus Boycott Rosa parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She was arrested and the NAACP helped to organize a bus boycott. Martin Luther King Jr. will lead the bus boycott.

Freedom Riders Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States in 1961 and following years to challenge the non-enforcement of ending segregation on buses. They wanted lots of attention.

Freedom Summer was a campaign in the United States launched in June 1964 to attempt to register as many African American voters as possible in Mississippi, which had historically excluded most blacks from voting.

Sit-ins African American protestors would sit down and lunch counters and refuse to move until they were served. Greensboro, North Carolina was where the first major sit-in takes place by North Carolina A&T students.

March on Washington August 28, 1963 This was one of the largest political rallies for human rights in United States history and called for civil and economic rights for African Americans. Martin Luther king Jr. “ I have a dream” speech was here.

Civil Rights Act of 1964 Prohibited discrimination because of race, religion, national origin, and gender. It gave all citizens the right to enter libraries, parks, washrooms, restaurants, theaters, and other public accommodations.

Voting rights act of 1965 The act eliminated the so-called literacy tests that had disqualified many voters. Federal examiners could enroll voters who had been denied by local examiners. Some did not feel the law went far enough.

Affirmative Action Programs that involve making special efforts to hire or enroll groups that have suffered discrimination. Colleges, and many company's will adopt such programs.