Brief Timeline
by Amanda B.
Slavery - Beginning in the 1600's, African men and women were captured and shipped off to the colonial America. Soon, slavery became a key component to the plantation economy of Southern colonies . Deep racism dominated American culture, both in the North & South, and, as such, culminated in harsh realities for the enslaved.
13th, 14th, 15th Amendment- After the defeat of the Confederacy in the Civil War, the 13th Amendment (1865) abolished slavery in USA. The 14th Amendment, passed in 1868 as part of Reconstruction efforts, granted citizenship to former slaves & equal protection under the laws. The 15th, (1870), granted African Americans the right to vote. These amendments, however, were ignored by the vast majority of racist, white Americans
KKK & Black Codes- These "codes" were laws passed by Southern states in the 1860's that further oppressed the newly freed slaves and limited their freedoms granted in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. These laws, forcing many to sign labor contracts involving debt or low wages, along with targeted violence from the of the Ku Klux Klan, greatly controlled Black life and activity in the South.
Plessy v. Ferguson- This Supreme Court ruling in 1896 upheld racial segragation, famously noting, "separate, but equal" facilities were constitutional. However, especially in the South, public facilities were often never equal, with the "colored" accommodations of much poorer quality than those for whites.
Brown v. Board of Education-This 1954 Supreme Court Ruling declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. It overturned the previous federal approval of segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson, and set the path in motion towards integration in the States. It is also considered one of the first victories for the Civil Rights Movement.
Emmett Till Trial- The brutal murder of fourteen-year old Till, visiting his family in Mississippi in 1955, from the North, shocked the colored people across the USA. Victimized and beaten for whistling at a white women, the young boy's death and his killer's proclaimed innocence by the jury, sparked anger and an increased surge of protest within Civil Rights activists.
Montgomery Bus Boycott- Initiated by Rosa Park's arrest for questioning the bus segregation in Montgomery, Alabama, the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956), was a highly publicized mass demonstration that helped repeal the transit segregation laws in Alabama. Famous Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was an important organizer in the boycott as well.
Nation of Islam & Black Power - While Martin Luther King Jr. and other non-violent civil rights leaders gained momentum in their fight for justice, others turned to alternative, more radical means of change. Black Power groups, like the Nation of Islam and the Black Panthers, advocated more militant, forceful action to bring justice for the African American population. Malcolm X, a prominent minister for the Nation of Islam, condemned integration efforts & called for a separatist movement among African American Muslims.
March on Washington - Held at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, the March for Washington was one of the largest, most recognized public rallies in US history. Rallying for economic, political, and social justice for African Americans, hundreds of thousands of blacks and whites from all of the country congregated in the capital. Celebrated for its peaceful nature, the March is perhaps most remembered for MLK's speech, "I Have A Dream".
Civil Rights Act of 1964- Signed by President Johnson on July 2, 1964, the Act formerly outlawed discrimination based on sex,color, religion, or race, ending, for good, the decades worth of segregation and employment inequality throughout the country. The act is considered the greatest victory for the Civil Rights movement.
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