The document summarizes key events in the history of the civil rights movement for African Americans from the late 1700s to the late 1900s. It notes that slavery was abolished in Vermont in the late 1700s and banned nationally in 1808. In the 1860s, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery and the Ku Klux Klan was formed. Voting rights were extended to African American men in 1870. The civil rights movement gained momentum in the 1950s with the Brown vs Board of Education ruling and events like the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Major legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 were passed following protests and activism.

2.  1700-1790: Several black slave revolts occurred; the Constitution of Vermont is the first to
abolish slavery
 1790-1810: Manumission of slaves in some free states; in 1808 the importation of slaves in
America was banned
 1861-1865: Tens of thousands of enslaved African American slaves escaped to Union lines for
freedom (Underground Railroad); the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect
 1865: The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution went into effect, the
abolishment of slavery
 1860s: The Ku Klux Klan is formed in Tennessee by white Confederate veterans
 1870: The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution guarantees the right of male citizens to
vote regardless of colour or previous condition of servitude

3.  Prosperity that was accessible to many whites, was not
available to everyone
 Black Americans were largely excluded
 Example: Suburban neighbourhoods

4.  1950s/1960s
 Racism was prominent throughout society
 Faced hiring discrimination & unequal
pay/opportunity
 Discriminatory real estate practice
 Kept to inner city neighbourhoods (out of suburbs)
 Kept in areas with poor schools and education
 In the South, segregation was the law
 Required that blacks and whites attend separate schools and
churches and use different facilities

5.  Grew out of political organizations
and churches (1950s)
 First area of focus was education
 1954: Brown v. Board of Education
 Decided that segregation based on race in
Educational facilities was no longer legal
 Despite this decision, little change
resulted
Additional Resource (Brown v. Board of
Education Video)
http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX760a6e
7d58506758635545&t=Civil-Rights-Movement

6.  Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955)
 Non-violent protest of racial segregation on buses
 Result of the arrest of Rosa Parks
 Refused to give up her seat for other white
passengers
 Arrested and found guilty
 Many participants were arrested or their livelihood
was threatened
 Law of bus segregation was challenged in court
 November 13, 1956- declared unconstitutional
Additional Resource (Montgomery Bus Boycott Video)
http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX030d46007f701570455d7b&t=Civil
-Rights-Movement

7.  Little Rock Central High School (1957)
 NAACP made attempts to enrol blacks in white
schools after the Brown v. Board of Education decision
 Nine African American students selected to attend
 On the first day of school, they were prevented from
entering by Arkansas National Guard
 Were also harassed, threatened and at the centre of protest by other
student
 President Eisenhower enforced orders of the Federal
court and deployed 101st Airborne Division to protect
the students

8. Additional Resource (Central High/Little Rock Video)
http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX6d517e016d4a01004d556b&t=Civil
-Rights-Movement

9.  1960
 Greensboro, North Carolina
 Four black college students sat at Woodworth’s Lunch
Counter protesting African American exclusion from that
location
 Peaceful protest
 Inspired other sit-ins (spread to most segregated states)
 Some participants escorted from the lunch area and jailed
 Led to the formation of the Student Non-Violent
Coordination Committee (SNCC)
Additional Resource (Greensboro Sit Ins Video)
http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX6a5a54565d5c0c52045477&t=Civil
-Rights-Movement

11.  Journeys on interstate buses into segregated Southern
states
 First freedom ride departed from Washington on May
4, 1961
 Aimed to integrate bus seating and desegregate bus
stations
 Including washrooms, drinking fountains and waiting areas
 Many participants were violently attacked and injured
 Kennedy ordered the re-issue of a desegregation order
 Passengers were then permitted to sit anywhere on buses and
use integrated facilities

12. Additional Resource: Freedom Riders Video)
http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX47156370015c0e7c5b7a06&t=Civil-
Rights-Movement

13.  August 28th, 1963
 100th anniversary of the Proclamation of Emancipation
 Focused on:
 Civil Rights Laws
 Federal works
 Full/fair employment
 Decent housing
 Adequate integrated education
 Martin Luther King Jr. “I have a dream..” speech
 Helped pass the Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting
Rights (1965)

14. Additional Resource: March on Washington Video)
http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX555000426740744c434673
&t=Civil-Rights-Movement

15.  Civil Rights Act of 1964
 Banned discrimination based on
race, colour, religion, sex or national origin in
employment practices and public accommodation
 Nullified state and local laws legalizing segregation
and discrimination
 http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX6a4146734773
624354037b&t=Civil-Rights-Movement
 Voting Rights Act of 1965
 Outlawed discriminatory voting practices
 Eliminated the prevention of blacks and other
minorities from voting
 http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX4469045f
0f486b4e655067&t=Civil-Rights-Movement

16.  1954- Brown v. Board of Education
 1955- Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
 1957- Little Rock Nine
 1961- Freedom Riders and the desegregation of bus terminals
 1963- The Birmingham Campaign/ March on Washington
 1964- Martin Luther King Jr. wins Nobel Peace Prize
 1964 (July)- Civil Rights Act is passed
 1965- March for Freedom/ Voting Rights Act passed
 1968- Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated
 1972- Congress approves the Equal Rights Amendment
 2008- Barack Obama is elected the 44th president of the United States

17.  Even though the fight for equality had begun many
years prior to the 1950s, had much changed since the
post Civil War era?
 What were African Americans fighting for?
 Do you believe that true equality of races has been in
achieved in the United States? In the world?

18.  Martin Luther King Jr. “I have a dream...” speech (video)
 http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX5b7d7b6d56665342605173&t
=Civil-Rights-Movement
 Martin Luther King Jr. “I have a dream...” speech (text)
 http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm
 Montgomery Bus Boycott- Online activity
 http://www.beforetheboycott.com/eLearning/index.html