Brief History

After the Civil War ended in 1865, slavery was abolished. This did not prevent many southern states, however, from enforcing brutal laws known as Jim Crow laws to ensure that African Americans were segregated from whites in public places (such as schools, restaurants, bathrooms, and stores).

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

In 1951, over a dozen parents of children attending schools in Topeka, Kansas, filed a lawsuit against the school district. The parents wanted their children, who had been attending segregated schools for black children in the district, to attend the historically white schools which had more resources and better classrooms.

With the help of the NAACP, the plaintiffs (the parents) filed a lawsuit against the school district. The court system initially upheld the school district's decision to have "separate but equal" schools within the town. However, the plaintiffs appealed and eventually the case went to the Supreme Court.

In Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that segregating black and white children in public schools was unconstitutional. Not all segregation ended the day of the ruling, but the case was a huge win for the civil rights of all African Americans in the United States.

1955: Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Rosa Parks, an active member of the NAACP, refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus in 1955. Her arrest sparked a nation-wide interest in the treatment of African Americans and inspired many groups to conduct boycotts, marches, and protests during the next few years.

John F. Kennedy & the Civil Rights Movement

By the time John F. Kennedy became president in 1961, the Civil Rights Movement was well-underway. Under increasing pressures of nation-wide boycotts, marches, protests, and petitions, President Kennedy considered the notion of enacting a Civil Rights Act. Unfortunately, he was not able to live to see his idea enacted, as he was assassinated in 1963.

Lyndon B. Johnson & the Civil Rights Act (1964)

After Kennedy's assassination, his successor, President Johnson, was determined to finish his predecessor's work. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964

The act directly outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The law also prohibited racial segregation in schools and other public places. The act was a huge victory for all those fighting for civil rights throughout the 1950s and 60s. Although the act was a long time coming, it proved that with enough determination, energy, and organization, people could achieve great things.