Civil Rights Era
The ten most important events
Sweatt V. Painter (1950)
Heman Sweatt, the petitioner of this case, was denied admission to the University of Texas Law School because he was a negro and the school did not allow them into their law school. In this Supreme Court case, the court ruled that separate professional schools were unconstitutional.
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Following the arrest of Rosa Parks for disobeying bus laws and after facing segregation while riding the buses in Montgomery Alabama, Martin Luther King was one of the leaders that created the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which meant that the blacks refused to ride the buses for a year. This led to the end of a previous law which stated that blacks had to sit or stand in the back of the bus.
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954)
A black third grader, Linda Brown, was forced to walk a mile through dangerous areas to get to school because the nearby school would not allow negroes to enroll. This was taken to court and the supreme court ruled that segregation in public schools was unequal and unconstitutional.
Little Rock's Central Highschool
In September 1957, the governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, used the National Guard to prevent nine black students from enrolling in Central High school. Eisenhower, in return to this direct challenge of federal authority, sent troops to escort the kids to their classes to ensure their safety.
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Also referred to as the SCLC, this was created by MLK and other clergy in 1957 to mobilize the power of the black churches. They also coordinated their work with that of other civil rights groups. They focused on keeping peace while fulfilling their goals.
An American Dilemma (1944)
This book was written by Gunnar Myrdal and it exposed the contradiction between America's professed belief that all men are created equal and the harsh treatment of black citizens.
"To Secure These Rights"
President Truman commissioned this report after hearing of the lynching of black war veterans in 1946. Truman ended segregation in federal civil service to order "equality of opportunity and treatment" in the armed forces in 1948.
Nobel Peace Prize
Ralph Bunche was the first black to receive a Nobel Peace Prize for the UN Palestine Commission. He worked on the Arab-Israeli dispute and arranged the 1949 armistice.
Emmett Till Case (1955)
Emmett Till was visiting friends in Money, Mississippi and was overheard talking about his white girlfriend back home. People doubted him and dared him to talk to the white girl in the store, which he did. Later, she told her husband Rob Bryant about it and he and his brother in law eventually found Till and forced him into their car. Three days later he was found dead in a river and was beaten so badly his family could barely recognize him. The pictures of him went viral and caused anger on part of black people.
"Declaration of Constitutional Principles" (1956)
Following the decision made in the Brown v. Board of education of Topeka, more than 100 senators and congressman from the stated in the Deep South signed the "Declaration of Constitutional Principles". This pledged their unyielding resistance to desegregation.