Civil Rights Movement Timeline

Civil Rights Movement Timeline

Key Events and Milestones

1964

1963

1957

1965

1960

1955

Mississippi Freedom Summer

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Emmett Till Murder

Greensboro Sit-Ins

MLK's Birmingham Campaign

Civil Rights Act of 1957

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

August 6, 1965

A federal legislation was passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson that prohibited discrimination in voting.

August 28, 1955

The kidnapping and murdering of Emmett Till for supposedly flirting with a white woman took place. The woman's husband and brother beat him, shot him, and tied him to a cotton gin fan with barbed wire that was thrown into the Tallahatchie river.

February 1, 1960

A series of nonviolent protests that were caused by black students sitting at a white-only lunch counter, and aimed to eliminate segregation at lunch tables. The protest was successful, and many public facilities were desegregated.

June 14, 1964

A campaign in Mississippi that attempted to register as many African American voters as possible.

September 9, 1957

An act was passed that established the right to investigate and prosecute those who attempted to inhibit citizens from their voting rights

April 3, 1963

A movement organized to integrate African American efforts by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Birmingham, Alabama. Through a series of nonviolent protests, the city of Birmingham passed desegregation laws.

August 28, 1963

A march took place in Washington, D.C. to advocate for equal rights and job opportunities for African American citizens. M.L.K. delivered his "I have a Dream" speech, and it achieved a bill calling for federal civil rights.

Civil Rights Act of 1968

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Little Rock Nine

16th St. Baptist Church Bombing

Freedom Rides

Selma to Montgomery

Marches

Brown v. Board of Education

April 11, 1968

A landmark law was passed that prohibited discrimination of any kind regarding the sale, rental, or financial management of real estate.

July 2, 1964

The Supreme Court ruling that stated it was unconstitutional to separate children in school based on their race, sex, or ethnicity. Discrimination when hiring, promoting, and firing was also outlawed.

September 4, 1957

A group of nine teenagers became the first African American students to attend Little Rock Central High School. During their time at school, they faced harrassment from numerous people. A mob of roughly 1,000 white protestors insisted that they be expelled from the school.

December 5, 1955

A protest in which black citizens of Montgomery refused to ride the city buses. This protest was a retaliation to Rosa Park's arrest, which took place only four days prior.

May 4, 1961

A series of protests that sought to eliminate segregation on public transporation. The protests led to the passing of Boynton v. Virginia, which ruled against segregation on public transportation.

September 15, 1963

A bombing of the 16th St. Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama by a white supremacist terrorist group. A funeral was held for the four black girls killed in the bombing, and over 8,000 people attended the service.

May 14, 1954

The Supreme Court ruling that stated it was unconstitutional to separate children in school based on their race

March 7, 1965

Three protests took place where people marched along the highway from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama. The nonviolent protests aimed to grant equal voting rights for all races. Shortly after these protests, the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

1955

1954

1964

1957

1963

1968

1961

1965