Civil Rights Movement Milestones
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregated public schools unconstitutional. Which "separate but equal" ruling did it overturn?
In December 1955, African-American residents of this Alabama city protested the segregated public bus system.
In 1957, nine African-American students enrolled in a previously segregated Arkansas high school (now a landmark), but they were blocked from entering on their first day.
On Feb. 1, 1960, four African-American college students sat down at a retailer’s lunch counter in silent protest of segregated dining policies. The protest grew to include more students and other cities and stores
Starting in May 1961, civil rights activists began riding interstate buses throughout the South to expose discrimination that existed on buses despite a court ruling in favor of desegregation. The riders faced brutal opposition
On Aug. 28, 1963, civil rights groups staged a peaceful march that culminated at a D.C. landmark. There, Martin Luther King Jr. addressed thousands on behalf of his organization and delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech.
In June 1964, Northern volunteers attempted a voter registration drive in Mississippi. The Ku Klux Klan and local authorities staged repeated attacks. Three of the volunteers disappeared.
This bill outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, religion, or sex — including segregation in schools and public facilities.
On March 7, 1965, hundreds of civil rights demonstrators in Selma, Ala., started a march to Montgomery to protest unfair voting practices, as well as the death of an unarmed local man.
On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed this act into law, outlawing discriminatory voting practices.