This document contains a matrix summarizing key snapshots of the US Civil Rights movement in approximately 60-75 words each. The snapshots discussed include Plessy v. Ferguson, Jim Crow laws, segregation during World War I and II, Brown v. Board of Education, the Montgomery Bus Boycott led by Rosa Parks, the work of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech, and the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The matrix provides brief summaries of each event along with their significance in advancing or setting back civil rights.

1. © 2020. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.
Name Tiffany Lewis
HIS-144 Civil Rights Movement Matrix
Directions: Utilize the Topic 6 Readings as a resource to complete the matrix below. Be sure to
cite all sources.
Summarize and state the significance of each of the snapshots of the Civil Rights movement.
Each box should be approximately 60-75 words. The first one is an example.
Snapshot Summary Significance
Example: Second Mississippi
Plan
The Second Mississippi Plan
was a series of laws that
established barriers for
former slaves from
participating in voting, and
included things like the poll
tax, a fee for voting that many
poor people could not pay, the
literacy test, stating that one
had to be able to read and
write at a given standard in
order to vote, which
discriminated heavily against
most former slaves, many of
whom were illiterate.
(citation)
These laws were passed to
prevent the former slaves from
exercising any political power.
In many of the Southern states,
the black population was
either even with or
outnumbered the white
population. These laws were
set in motion to protect the
status quo of power in the
Southern states. These policies
initiated in Mississippi were
adopted by many of the other
Southern states. (citation)
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) This case began because a
passenger refused to sit in a
seat intended for a black
person (Duigan, 2021). In
Plessy v. Ferguson, the equal
protection clause of the
Fourteenth Amendment was
the focus of the first severe
legal inquiry. After all, this
case ruled against racial
segregation so that each race
could have equal equality.
Through its ruling, the
Supreme Court effectively
approved discriminatory state
law. Although the usual ruling
did not use the phrase
"separate but equal," it gave
constitutional approval to
statutes that sought to
establish racial segregation.
By offering Whites and
African Americans separate
but purportedly equal public
facilities and services
(Duignan, 2020).
Jim Crow Laws Racial segregation was
sanctioned by national, and
In addition to cemeteries,
drinking fountains, and

2. state, municipal laws known
as "Jim Crow laws." By
preventing African Americans
from voting, holding jobs,
pursuing education, or
pursuing other chances, the
laws, which bear the name of
a character from a black
minstrel play, were created to
marginalize African
Americans. They existed for
almost a century, from the
years immediately broken
following until 1968. People
who often broke Jim Crow
rules were violently
reprimanded, imprisoned,
fined, and even killed for their
actions (Browne, 2007).
restrooms, building entrances,
elevators, and even ticket
booths in theme parks;
segregated waiting places had
to be provided at bus and train
terminals and in those
locations. Being an African
American in a community
with white residents was
illegal. Public telephone
booths, swimming pools,
prisons, clinics for the
mentally ill, and institutions
for the elderly and crippled
were all separated. Jim Crow
laws rapidly and more
violently than before
expanded over the nation
(Browne, 2007).
Segregation in the World
Wars
The draft was segregated, and
the all-white draft boards often
examined African Americans.
By the war's end, there were
more than 1.2 million people
in the military, even though it
was still segregated.
Jim Crow laws also applied to
African Americans during
World War II. Numerous
racial divisions existed
throughout the governmental
and military branches of the
United States. The Tuskegee
Airmen were impacted by
racial discrimination inside
and outside the service.
(Schultz, 2016).
Along with fighting fascism
abroad. Americans also had to
deal with racism in the US and
the US military. African
Americans were divided into
the Army, Navy, and Marine
Corps units because they
thought they lacked the same
skills as white service
personnel. Blacks and
unprejudiced whites fought
discrimination because it was
an egregious wrong. Due to
World War II, racial issues
that had been simmering for
generations and were left
unresolved by the Civil War
were abruptly resolved.
(Schultz, 2016).
Brown v. Board of Education
(1954)
A precedent was set by Brown
v. Board. Then, the Supreme
Court decided unanimously
that schools were
unconstitutional; one of the
pillars of the civil rights
Brown, claimed in his
complaint that the alleged
"equal protection clause" was
broken by school segregation.
Opportunities were inferior to
those of white students. The

3. movement, Brown v. Board of
Education established the
precedent that "separate but
equal" education and other
services are not equal (Brown
v. Board of Education, 2005).
matter was heard by the U.S.
District Court in Kansas
acknowledged that segregation
in public schools had a
"negative effect on the colored
pupils." It contributed to "a
sense of inferiority" However,
it affirmed the "separate but
equal" principle nonetheless
(Brown v. Board of Education,
2005).
Rosa Parks and the
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Civil rights demonstration
against segregated seating was
carried out by African
Americans in Montgomery,
Alabama, by forgoing public
transit. The boycott ran from
December 5, 1955, to
December 20, 1956, and was
the recognizer's first
significant anti-segregation
protest. Rosa Parks was fined
and in jail before the
Montgomery Boycott took
place. (Schultz, 2016).
One of the boycott's
organizers was a young
preacher named Martin Luther
King, Jr., who later rose to
prominence in the American
civil rights movement.
Ultimately, the U.S. Supreme
Court mandated that
Montgomery integrate its bus
system (Schultz, 2016).
MLK Jr. and the Southern
Christian Leadership
Conference (nonviolent
resistance)
A successful event
orchestrated a 381-day boycott
of Montgomery, Alabama's
segregated public
transportation system. This
event helped the South to
protest.
Martin Luther King, Jr. led the
organization, which leaned on
the strength and autonomy of
black followers that churches
should support (Schultz,
2016).
After the boycott's
achievement in 1956. Bayard
Rustin produced many
working papers investigating
the possibility of expanding
the Montgomery campaign to
other Southern areas. With its
national headquarters in
Atlanta and branches and
affiliates all over the nation,
SCLC is a significant
organization today. This
agenda addresses issues of
economic injustice. Martin
Luther King, Jr.
(Schultz, 2016).
"I Have a Dream" speech One of the most well-known
speeches in history, “I HAVE
The 1963 March on
Washington, the 1965 March

4. A DREAM,” an audience at
around 250,000 people
witnessed Martin Luther King,
Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech
at the 1963 March on
Washington. King used
universal themes while
weaving in allusions to the
nation's founders and the Bible
to highlight the struggles of
African Americans before
finishing with an improvised
riff on his goals of equality.
The moving speech quickly
became known as a highlight
of the effective protest and has
since remained one of the
critical moments of the civil
rights movement (Schultz,
2016).
to Montgomery, and the
Selma Voting Rights
Campaign benefited greatly.
The SCLC launched the Poor
People's Campaign in 1967 as
part of an expansion of its
agenda to address issues of
economic injustice. King,
Martin Luther Jr.
(Schultz,2016).
Nevertheless, he envisioned a
future in which the country
would follow "the shining
path of racial justice," and he
predicted, with bittersweet
foresight, that 1963 would be
"not an end, but a beginning."
1964 Civil Rights Act Congress passed Public Law
88-352 in 1964. The Civil
Rights Act of 1964 made it
illegal to discriminate against
people based on race, color,
national origin, religion, or
gender. Sex and racial
discrimination in hiring,
promoting, and these civil
rights outlawed firing.
(History.com Editors, 2020).
The law outlawed
discrimination in federally
financed programs and places
of public accommodation.
Additionally, it strengthened
the implementation of voting
rights and school
desegregation—the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 remains
the gold standard for civil
rights law in the United States.
(History.com Editors, 2020).

5. References
Browne. (2007). Civil Rights and Social Justice. Retrieved from
https://search-credoreference-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/content/entry/sharpeamlives/civil_righ
ts_and_social_justice/0
Brown v. Board of Education. (2005). Retrieved from https://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-
1955/347us48
Duignan, B. (2020, May 11). Plessy v. Ferguson. Retrieved from

6. https://www.britannica.com/event/Plessy-v-Ferguson-1896
History.com Editors. (2020, January 4). Civil Rights Act of 1964. Retrieved from
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-act
Schultz. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.gcumedia.com/digital-resources/cengage/2015/hist-
4_ebook_4e.php