Civil Rights Movement

Key events and figures of the American civil rights movement

20 cards · history

Cards (20)

Front	Back
Brown v. Board of Education	1954; Supreme Court ruled school segregation unconstitutional Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson; unanimous 9–0 decision.
Emmett Till	1955; lynching spurred national civil rights outrage His open-casket funeral and photos galvanized public attention.
Montgomery Bus Boycott	1955–1956; mass boycott ended bus segregation in Montgomery Sparked by Rosa Parks; Browder v. Gayle affirmed desegregation.
Rosa Parks	1955; arrest for refusing bus seat sparked boycott NAACP activist known as the “mother of the movement.”
Little Rock Nine	1957; nine students integrated Central High under troops Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne after Arkansas blocked entry.
Southern Christian Leadership Conference	1957; MLK-led group promoting nonviolent direct action Coordinated protests and voter registration across the South.
Greensboro sit-ins	1960; sit-ins desegregated lunch counters Began at Woolworth’s; inspired sit-ins nationwide.
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee	1960; student group for sit-ins, Freedom Rides, voter drives Key figures included John Lewis and Diane Nash.
Freedom Rides	1961; interracial rides tested desegregation of interstate travel Violent attacks led to ICC enforcing integrated terminals.
Birmingham campaign	1963; protests met with violence forced desegregation talks Police used dogs and hoses; King wrote from Birmingham Jail.
March on Washington	1963; mass rally where King gave “I Have a Dream” Helped build momentum for the Civil Rights Act.
Civil Rights Act of 1964	1964; banned segregation and job discrimination Key provisions in Titles II and VII; signed by President Johnson.
Twenty-fourth Amendment	1964; abolished poll taxes in federal elections Removed a major barrier to Black voting in the South.
Freedom Summer	1964; Mississippi voter drive; three activists murdered Killings of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner shocked the nation.
Selma to Montgomery marches	1965; marches exposed voter suppression; Bloody Sunday Televised violence helped secure voting rights legislation.
Voting Rights Act of 1965	1965; barred racial discrimination in voting; federal oversight Suspended literacy tests; required preclearance in covered areas.
Malcolm X	1965; advocate of Black self-determination; assassinated After Mecca, he embraced broader unity; founded OAAU in 1964.
Black Panther Party	1966; group advocating self-defense and community programs Founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland.
Loving v. Virginia	1967; Court struck down interracial marriage bans Held bans violated Equal Protection and Due Process.
Fair Housing Act of 1968	1968; banned housing bias by race, religion, national origin Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act; signed after King’s assassination.