Civil rights timeline

ADEN LEE
In the modern a ge , especia lly in the 18~20 century, b l a c k
p eo p l e cannot avo i d racism a n d suffer from discriminati on. O n e
of the discriminati on is slavery. Under the law, a n enslaved
person wa s treated a s property that could b e bought, sold, or
Background given away. In the d e c a d e s aft er the en d of Reconstructi on,
many of slavery's e co n omic a n d social functions were conti nued
through segregati on, sharecropping, a n d convict leasing. Plus,
b l a c k p e o p l e couldn’t use the sa me public faciliti es a s white
people, live in many of the same towns or g o to the same
schools. The picture on the right shows b l a c c k p eo pl e' lives that
suffer from slavery.

Before World war ll, most Black people worked as low-wage farmers,
factory workers, domestics, or servants. While most African Americans
serving at the beginning of WWII were assigned to non-combat units

World War ll / and relegated to service duties, such as supply, maintenance, and
transportation, their work

Executive behind the front lines was equally vital to the war. Despite this effort of
black people. many Black veterans were met with prejudice and scorn

Order upon returning home. This was a stark contrast to why America had
entered the war, to begin with—to defend freedom and democracy in

9981 the world.

President Harry Truman initiated a civil rights agenda, and in 1948
issued Executive Order 9981 to end discrimination in the military.
These events helped set the stage for grass-roots initiatives to enact
racial equality legislation and incite the civil rights movement. The
picture on the right represents black people who participated in World
Four days before the boycott b egan , Rosa park, a n African American
War II and showed a heroic performance.
woman, was arrested a n d fi ned for refusing to yield her bus seat to a white
man. To resist the disccriminati on, The boycott took p l a c e from De c em b e r
5, 1955, to D e ce mb er 20, 1956. Bl ac k ministers announced the boycott in
church on Sunday, D e ce m b e r 4, a n d the Montgomery Advertiser, a ge n eral

Bus boycott - interest newspaper, published a fro nt-p age arti cle on the p lann ed acti on
. Besides, To ensure the boycott could b e sustained, Bl ac k leaders
o rga n i ze d carpools, a n d the city’s African American taxi drivers c h a r g e d
only 10 cents —the same p r i ce a s bus fare—for African American riders.
This movement is very signifi cant historically b ec au s e a s a result, The U.S.
Supreme Court ulti mately o rdered Montgomery to integrate its bus system,
a n d one of the leaders of the boycott , a young pastor n amed Marti n Luther
King J r e m erge d as a prominent l ead e r of the American civil rights
movement. This picture shows b l a c k p e o p le who progress Bus Boycott

Mcaamnpyasiogunt.hern states m a d e it diffi cult for B l a c k citi zens. They oft en

required prospecti ve voters of color to ta ke literacy tests that were

1957:
nearly impossible to pass. O n September 9, 1957, President
Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 into law, the first major
civil rights legislati on since Reconstructi on. It al l owed fed eral
right
Civil act prosecuti on of anyone who tried to prevent someone from voti ng. It
also c r e at e d a commission to investi gate voter fraud.This wa s also a
cry for freedom a n d equality. In additi on, It moti vated the civil light
a c t of 1964 to require equ al treatment a n d voti ng rights. The picture
on the picture shows b l a c k p e o p l e who requires freedom a n d voti ng
rights.
Unfortunately, black people could not avoid discrimination regarding
getting jobs and were not guaranteed freedom.So, in order to refuse this
kinds of discrimination, the March on Washington occurred in August
1963, when some 250,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln
March on Washington, D.C. Also knownMemorial in on Washington for Jobs
as the March
and Freedom, the event aimed to draw attention to continuing
Washington challenges and
inequalities
That
faced by African Americans a century after emancipation.
spring, Randolph and his chief aide, Bayard Rustin, planned a march
that call for fair treatment and equal opportunity for Black Americans,
would
as well as advocate for passage of the Civil Rights Act. It was also the
occasion of Martin Luther King Jr.’s now-iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.
As a result, this famous march on Washington and the King's sppech have
been considered as a slogan for equility and freedom. The picture on the
right represents Martin Luther King's speech during the progress of March
on Washington.
In the d e ca d e s, various discriminatory p ra cti ce s were used to
prevent
African Americans, parti cularly those in the South, from exercising their
right to vote. So, the exercise to g e t voti ng rights b e ga n . During the

Voting movement, voti ng rights acti vists in the South were su bj ected to various
forms of mistreatment a n d violence. Some protesters were severely

Rights Act b e ate n a n d bloodied, a n d others ran for their lives. In the wa ke of the
shocking incident, the president Johnson ca l l e d for comprehensive voti ng

of rights legislati on. As a result, the voti ng rights bill wa s p a ss e d in the U.S.
Sen ate by a 77-19 vote on M ay 26, 1965. Through this movement, b l a c k

1965
also could ge t voti ng rights. The Voti ng Rights Act is consid ered one of the
most far- rea ch in g p ie ce s of civil rights legislati on in U.S. history. The
picture on the right shows President Lyndon B. Johnson si gned the Voti ng
Rights Act.

Despite Supreme Cou rt decisions that ou tlawed the exclusion of African

Americans or other minoriti es from certa in secti ons of citi es, r a c e - b a s e d
housing patt erns were still in fo rce by the l ate 1960s. Those who

Fair c h a l l e n ge d them oft en met with resistance, hostility a n d even violence. In

this climate, organ izati o ns such a s the N ati o n a l Associati on for the

Housing Advancement of C o l o r e d Pe o p l e (N AACP ), the G.I. Forum a n d the

N a ti o n a l Co mmitt ee Against Discriminati on in Housing l o b b i e d for new
Act of fair housing legislati on to b e pa ssed. Aft er a strictly limited d e b at e , the
House p a s s e d the Fair Housing Act on April 10, a n d President Johnson

1968 si gn ed it into law the following day. As a result, The Fair Housing Act of
1968 prohibited discriminati on co n cern i n g the sale, rental a n d fi na ncin g
of housing b a s e d on race, religion, nati onal origin or sex.The Fair Housing
Act stands a s the fi nal g r e a t legislati ve ach ievement of the civil rights era.
The picture on the right shows b l a c k p e o p l e requiring the provision of
non-discriminatory housing.