Civil Rights in America
1870-1964
Times and images that have changed the world
1896
1955
1961
1955
1964
1870
1954
1955
1957
1963
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Freedom Rides
Plessy v. Ferguson
Emmett Till Murdered
Civil Rights Act
March On Washignton
15th Amendment
Brown V Board
Rosa Parks Arrested
The Little Rock Nine
+info
+info
+info
+info
+info
The Hate Continues
2020-Present
2021
2023
2020
2022
2024
January 6 Riots
White Supremecy
Black Lives Matter
Transgender Rights
Christian Nationalism
+info
+info
+info
About this Project
Phase 1
I started this project wanting to link religion to the Civil Rights Movement. That led me to look into Joann Christian a 14-year-old girl arrested and abused for being part of the Student Nonviolent Coordinated Committee (SNCC)
Phase 2
Looking into Joan Christian led me to investigate the SNCC and how photography was used to advance the cause of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
Phase 3
I propose to create a website dedicated to photography from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee to explain what was happening in Mississippi and Georgia during that time frame. I plan to make a timeline-style website using primary sourced photographs and stories, as well as information from my focus article. This website will consist of multiple pages of text and images, complete with alternate text and captions. The website will contain a landing page with a timeline, associated images, and an about-the-project page. Each image on the timeline will open to an individual page that explains the context of the image, why that particular image is important, and what we as a society can learn from it. The website will also contain a bibliography page with direct links to sources. My goal is to help educate people about what student protests looked like in the 1960s and how nonviolence from the students' side was then and often still will be met with violence from those afraid of change. My intention in creating this compilation of information is to be as non-biased as possible while simultaneously considering the rights and freedoms of people that I hold dear. I report facts and do not speculate. As I mentioned in Project Number Two, we as a nation are currently facing Civil Rights issues again in the form of institutional and legislated bigotry. Part of the focus of this website will be to demonstrate the striking similarities to the issues that faced black voters in the South in the 1960s with issues of Gender Identity, Gender Expression, Women’s Reproductive rights, and proposed legislative changes that will undermine many of these hard-fought rights. While I know that this website will likely do little to encourage society to progress rather than digress in our freedoms and civil liberties, it is now, and has always been, my goal to speak for those who have no voice.
Bibliography
1. "Fifteenth Amendment." *Constitution Annotated Congress.Gov*, www.constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-15/. 2. "Fifteenth Amendment." *National Park Service*, www.nps.gov/articles/the-fifteenth-amendment.htm. 3. "Voter Registration." *New York Public Library Digital Collection*, www.digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-3fa4-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99. 4. "The Real Rosa Parks Story." *New York Times*, 1 Feb. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/02/01/opinion/rosa-parks.html. 5. *Plessy v. Ferguson*. 26 July 2024, *Wikipedia*, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plessy_v._Ferguson. 6. "Plessy V. Ferguson: Primary Documents in American History." *Library of Congress*, 16 Nov. 2020, guides.loc.gov/plessy-ferguson/introduction. 7. *Brown v. Board of Education*. 11 July 2024, *Wikipedia*, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education. 8. *Rosa Parks*. 18 July 2024, *Wikipedia*, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Parks. 9. "Montgomery Leader Tells His Story." *CRMVET*, www.crmvet.org/info/56nixon.htm. 10. "Little Rock Nine." *National Museum of African American History and Culture*, https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/little-rock-nine. 11. "Freedom Rides." *The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute*, kinginstitute.stanford.edu/freedom-rides.
Bibliography page 2
12. "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom." *The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute*, kinginstitute.stanford.edu/march-washington-jobs-and-freedom. 13. "Demonstrations and Political Violence in America: New Data for Summer 2020." *ACLED Data*, acleddata.com/2020/09/03/demonstrations-political-violence-in-america-new-data-for-summer-2020/. 14. "2023 Anti-trans Legislation." *Trans Legislation Tracker*, translegislation.com/bills/2023. 15. "God and Country Review: Rob Reiner’s Christian Nationalism Doc." *Hollywood Reporter*, www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/god-and-country-review-rob-reiner-christian-nationalism-doc-1235826254/. 16. "Project 2025." *The Heritage Foundation*, www.project2025.org/. 17. "White Supremacist Propaganda Incidents Soar to Record High in 2023." *Anti-Defamation League*, www.adl.org/resources/report/white-supremacist-propaganda-incidents-soar-record-high-2023. 18. "Get the Facts on Gender-Affirming Care." *Human Rights Campaign*, www.hrc.org/resources/get-the-facts-on-gender-affirming-care.
1955
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The arrest of Rosa Parks sparked an unintended movement. Mrs. Parks was well-regarded in the communities and was the Secretary of the local NAACP. The arrest spurred Mr. E.D. Nixon to start making phone calls to local ministers. These ministers formed the Montgomery Improvement Association and elected Martin Luther King Jr. as president. On Dec 5th, 1955, Dr. King gave his first of many. Civil Rights speeches.
Mass meeting at Holt Street Baptist Church calls for a bus boycott, December, 1955. https://www.crmvet.org/images/imgeyes.htm
Eventually, a group of women sued the city, and a Federal judge ruled that the segregation on the bus violated the 14th Amendment. On December 20, 1956, the US Supreme Court upheld the lower court's decision The Boycott ended 385 days after is started on December 21, 1956
The African American population of Montgomery, Alabama, made up 75% of the bus riders in the city. African American taxi drivers charged $0.10, the same price as the bus.
Read Speech here
1957
The Little Rock Nine
In September 1957, Nine African American teens were permitted to attend the newly built Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Governor Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to block the children from entering the school and getting an education. President Eisenhower mobilized the 101st Airborne Division on the United States Army to escort the children and demand that the National Guard stand down.
Four students and an Army escort on their way to Central High, with a crowd waiting in front of the school.
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, © Ernest C. Withers
Click here to hear speech by President Eisenhower
1870
The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution
The Declaration of Independence said that All men are created equal
Not all people felt this way and some northern states felt that the African American man should not have this right just yet. In order to get this Amendment passed, some southern states were bullied into passing the amendment as part of their being allowed back into the union
Voter Registration, Macon, GA 1867 The New York Public Library Digital Collection https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-3fa4-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Fifteenth Amendment
Section 1 The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude– Section 2 The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
For Further information about the 15th Amendment
1870
The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution
The Declaration of Independence said that All men are created equal
Not all people felt this way and some northern states felt that the African American man should not have this right just yet. In order to get this Amendment passed, some southern states were bullied into passing the amendment as part of their being allowed back into the union
Voter Registration, Macon, GA 1867 The New York Public Library Digital Collection https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-3fa4-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Fifteenth Amendment
Section 1 The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude– Section 2 The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
For Further information about the 15th Amendment
1955
Rosa Parks Arrested for refusing to give up her seat
On December 1st 1955 Rosa Parks got on the city bus in Montgomery, Alabama after a long day at work. She sat in the first row of the "colored" section of the bus. The bus filled up and there was no more room in the 10 rows of the "White" section of the bus. Bus driver Frank Blake, who in 1943 left Mrs. Parks in the rain, came back and moved the "colored" section sign futher back in the bus, and demanded that she move. She was arrested for Civil Disobedience for breaking Alabama's segragation laws.
Rosa Parks, arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, December, 1955. https://www.crmvet.org/images/imgeyes.htm
"I would have to know for once and for all what rights I had as a human being and a citizen." (wikipedia)
"I thought of Emmett Till, and I just could not go back" (Wikipedia)
1963
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
On August 23, 1963, Civil Rights leaders met with members of Congress while more than 200,000 people gathered in front of the Washington Monument. The peaceful demonstrators started marching without the leadership present, who had to race to catch up. The march culminated with Dr. King giving his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. After the march, the Civil Rights leadership met with the Executive Branch in the White House. This meeting laid the groundwork for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965
I have a Dream
1955
Rosa Parks Arrested for refusing to give up her seat
On December 1st 1955 Rosa Parks got on the city bus in Montgomery, Alabama after a long day at work. She sat in the first row of the "colored" section of the bus. The bus filled up and there was no more room in the 10 rows of the "White" section of the bus. Bus driver Frank Blake, who in 1943 left Mrs. Parks in the rain, came back and moved the "colored" section sign futher back in the bus, and demanded that she move. She was arrested for Civil Disobedience for breaking Alabama's segragation laws.
Rosa Parks, arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, December, 1955. https://www.crmvet.org/images/imgeyes.htm
"I would have to know for once and for all what rights I had as a human being and a citizen." (wikipedia)
"I thought of Emmett Till, and I just could not go back" (Wikipedia)
1955
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The arrest of Rosa Parks sparked an unintended movement. Mrs. Parks was well-regarded in the communities and was the Secretary of the local NAACP. The arrest spurred Mr. E.D. Nixon to start making phone calls to local ministers. These ministers formed the Montgomery Improvement Association and elected Martin Luther King Jr. as president. On Dec 5th, 1955, Dr. King gave his first of many. Civil Rights speeches.
Mass meeting at Holt Street Baptist Church calls for a bus boycott, December, 1955. https://www.crmvet.org/images/imgeyes.htm
Eventually, a group of women sued the city, and a Federal judge ruled that the segregation on the bus violated the 14th Amendment. On December 20, 1956, the US Supreme Court upheld the lower court's decision The Boycott ended 385 days after is started on December 21, 1956
The African American population of Montgomery, Alabama, made up 75% of the bus riders in the city. African American taxi drivers charged $0.10, the same price as the bus.
Read Speech here
1954
Brown V Board of Education
In 1951 Oliver Brown and others filed a class action lawsuit against the Topeka, Kansas school district for refusing to allow his daughter to go to a local school, instead having to ride the bus across town to the "black" school.
In a rare (for the time) unanimous descision by the Supreme Court, they partially overturned part of Plessy V Ferguson in the schools could no longer be segregated.
Southern one-room, rural "Colored" school under the "separate-but-equal" dual system. https://www.crmvet.org/images/imgyoung.htm
Southern Responses to Board:
- Closing schools rather than see them segragated
- Allow teachers to move to Private (segragated) schools and still get state benefits andf retirement
- African- American leadership in segragated schools fired and replaced with Whites
Read full Text
1955
Emmett Till Murdered
14 year old Emmett Till of Chicago was vistiting relatives in Mississippi when he "whistiled" at a white woman. The men came for him in the pre-dawn hours, made him get dressed and took him from the house. His body was found in the Tallahatchie River a few days later. The men that murdered Emmett were tried, and an all-male, all-white jury acquitted them after just over an hour of deliberation.
19XX
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1957
The Little Rock Nine
In September 1957, Nine African American teens were permitted to attend the newly built Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Governor Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to block the children from entering the school and getting an education. President Eisenhower mobilized the 101st Airborne Division on the United States Army to escort the children and demand that the National Guard stand down.
Four students and an Army escort on their way to Central High, with a crowd waiting in front of the school.
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, © Ernest C. Withers
Click here to hear speech by President Eisenhower
1896
Plessy V Ferguson
In 1892 - Homer Plessy tried to ride in a "White Only" section of a train, was kicked off the train and he sued. On May 18, 1896, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Equal Protection statute of the 14th Amendment did apply to the newly freed population in the United States, providing that there were separate but equal facilities.
Separate but equal examples:
- White-only sections on Transportation
- White-only restrooms
- White-only resturants
- Black citizens were allowed to vote, providing:
- They could pay the poll tax
- Pass a literacy test
- and other obstacles
Click here to read full text
Negro drinking at "Colored" water cooler in streetcar terminal, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1939 - Library of Congress
More Information
1954
Brown V Board of Education
In 1951 Oliver Brown and others filed a class action lawsuit against the Topeka, Kansas school district for refusing to allow his daughter to go to a local school, instead having to ride the bus across town to the "black" school.
In a rare (for the time) unanimous descision by the Supreme Court, they partially overturned part of Plessy V Ferguson in the schools could no longer be segregated.
Southern one-room, rural "Colored" school under the "separate-but-equal" dual system. https://www.crmvet.org/images/imgyoung.htm
Southern Responses to Board:
- Closing schools rather than see them segragated
- Allow teachers to move to Private (segragated) schools and still get state benefits andf retirement
- African- American leadership in segragated schools fired and replaced with Whites
Read full Text
1896
Plessy V Ferguson
In 1892 - Homer Plessy tried to ride in a "White Only" section of a train, was kicked off the train and he sued. On May 18, 1896, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Equal Protection statute of the 14th Amendment did apply to the newly freed population in the United States, providing that there were separate but equal facilities.
Separate but equal examples:
- White-only sections on Transportation
- White-only restrooms
- White-only resturants
- Black citizens were allowed to vote, providing:
- They could pay the poll tax
- Pass a literacy test
- and other obstacles
Click here to read full text
Negro drinking at "Colored" water cooler in streetcar terminal, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1939 - Library of Congress
More Information
1963
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
On August 23, 1963, Civil Rights leaders met with members of Congress while more than 200,000 people gathered in front of the Washington Monument. The peaceful demonstrators started marching without the leadership present, who had to race to catch up. The march culminated with Dr. King giving his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. After the march, the Civil Rights leadership met with the Executive Branch in the White House. This meeting laid the groundwork for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965
I have a Dream
More information
1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964
President Kennedy laid the groundwork for Congress to pass a Civil Rights bill before his assassination in November 1963. When President Johnson took office, it was his number one priority to push Congress to pass legislation. "The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Provisions of this civil rights act forbade discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as, race in hiring, promoting, and firing." (Dol.gov)
Address by President Lyndon B. Johnson before signing the the Civil Rights Act of 1964
More Information
1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964
President Kennedy laid the groundwork for Congress to pass a Civil Rights bill before his assassination in November 1963. When President Johnson took office, it was his number one priority to push Congress to pass legislation. "The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Provisions of this civil rights act forbade discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as, race in hiring, promoting, and firing." (Dol.gov)
Address by President Lyndon B. Johnson before signing the the Civil Rights Act of 1964
More Information
1961
Freedom Rides
In the Summer of 1961, three groups—CORE, SCLC, and SNCC — organized to protest segregation on Interstate bus lines and terminals. These groups organized college students to ride the bus from Washington, DC, to Montgomery, Alabama. On Mother's Day, May 14, 1961, the buses entered Anniston, Alabama, where the local police had permitted the KKK to block the road to keep the buses from entering the town. The first bus was firebombed, and the students that were on the bus escaped into the angry mob outside and were beaten while the cops stood by and watched. As a result, CORE stopped all Freedom Rides, and SCLC and SNCC continued throughout the summer. Eventually, President Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy had to intervene. Below are links for more information about this issue.
CORE
SCLC
SNCC
Freedom Rides
1961
Freedom Rides
In the Summer of 1961, three groups—CORE, SCLC, and SNCC — organized to protest segregation on Interstate bus lines and terminals. These groups organized college students to ride the bus from Washington, DC, to Montgomery, Alabama. On Mother's Day, May 14, 1961, the buses entered Anniston, Alabama, where the local police had permitted the KKK to block the road to keep the buses from entering the town. The first bus was firebombed, and the students that were on the bus escaped into the angry mob outside and were beaten while the cops stood by and watched. As a result, CORE stopped all Freedom Rides, and SCLC and SNCC continued throughout the summer. Eventually, President Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy had to intervene. Below are links for more information about this issue.
CORE
SCLC
SNCC
Freedom Rides
2020
Black Lives Matter Protests
The killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Flyod, and Breonna Taylor by law enforcement officers sparked nationwide protests. The majority of Black Lives Matter protests were peaceful, just like the ones in the 1960s. The political climate in 2020 led to the media's focus on the violent protests, bringing with it an us against them mentality.
Remeber them
Left: Between 200,000 and 500,000 demonstrators march down Constitution Avenue during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington D.C., Aug. 28, 1963; Right: Protesters gather in Harlem to protest the recent death of George Floyd on May 30, 2020 in New York City.Hulton Archive/Getty Images; David 'Dee' Delgado—Getty Images
2020
Black Lives Matter Protests
The killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Flyod, and Breonna Taylor by law enforcement officers sparked nationwide protests. The majority of Black Lives Matter protests were peaceful, just like the ones in the 1960s. The political climate in 2020 led to the media's focus on the violent protests, bringing with it an us against them mentality.
Left: Between 200,000 and 500,000 demonstrators march down Constitution Avenue during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington D.C., Aug. 28, 1963; Right: Protesters gather in Harlem to protest the recent death of George Floyd on May 30, 2020 in New York City.Hulton Archive/Getty Images; David 'Dee' Delgado—Getty Images
2021
Trump Supporters storm the US Capital
On January 6th, 2021 encouraged by deceitful rhetoric from President Trump the crowd turned angry and violent and attempted to gain access to the Capital building to disrupt the Electoral vote count by Congress. 174 police officers were injured in the attack The Capital riots added to the nation's racial divide as many of the rioters carried Confederate flags.
BBC news broadcast of the capital riots from January 6th 2021
More information
2021
Trump Supporters storm the US Capital
On January 6th, 2021 encouraged by deceitful rhetoric from President Trump the crowd turned angry and violent and attempted to gain access to the Capital building to disrupt the Electoral vote count by Congress. 174 police officers were injured in the attack The Capital riots added to the nation's racial divide as many of the rioters carried Confederate flags.
BBC news broadcast of the capital riots from January 6th 2021
More information
2022
Multiple States pass bills enfringing on Transgender rights
The rise of Religious Right politicians in control of state governments has led to an increase in laws targeted at LGBTQIA+ individuals with an emphasis on transgeder individuals.
Bills that restrict and eliminate Transgender Care
Ohio House Bill 183 - Single Sex Bathrooms
2023 anti-trans legislation
Jennifer Aleman, right, joins others in Miami on March 9 to protest in front of the office of Florida state Sen. Ileana Garcia after the passage of the Parental Rights in Education bill.Joe Raedle / Getty Images file
Trevor Project
2023
The Rise of White Supremecy
According to the Anti-Defamation League, "for the second year in a row, ADL recorded its highest ever number of white supremacist propaganda incidents, with a total of 7,567 cases." (ADL) These individuals and groups want to turn the clock back to a time before the 14th Amendment
Sampling of fliers distributed by Patriot Front in 2023.
Christopher "Hammer" Pohlhaus leads a rally with the neo-Nazi groups Blood Tribe and Goyim Defense League in Orlando, Fla., on SaturdayStephanie Keith / Getty Images
2024
Title 1
Christian Nationalism
The "Christian" in Christian Nationalism is an identity marker, and it is used to assume that one is a white supremacist, born in the United States, and patriarchal. To call yourself an American assumes the identity that you are Christian.
God and Country from Hollywood Reporter
Project 2025 according to the Heritage Foundation is the 180 day Presidential transition plan for the next Republican President. It is a 922 page document to reshape the United States into a "Christian Nation"
Project 2025
2024
Title 1
Christian Nationalism
The "Christian" in Christian Nationalism is an identity marker, and it is used to assume that one is a white supremacist, born in the United States, and patriarchal. To call yourself an American assumes the identity that you are Christian.
God and Country from Hollywood Reporter
Project 2025 according to the Heritage Foundation is the 180 day Presidential transition plan for the next Republican President. It is a 922 page document to reshape the United States into a "Christian Nation"
Project 2025
2023
The Rise of White Supremecy
According to the Anti-Defamation League, "for the second year in a row, ADL recorded its highest ever number of white supremacist propaganda incidents, with a total of 7,567 cases." (ADL) These individuals and groups want to turn the clock back to a time before the 14th Amendment
Sampling of fliers distributed by Patriot Front in 2023.
Christopher "Hammer" Pohlhaus leads a rally with the neo-Nazi groups Blood Tribe and Goyim Defense League in Orlando, Fla., on SaturdayStephanie Keith / Getty Images
2022
Multiple States pass bills enfringing on Transgender rights
The rise of Religious Right politicians in control of state governments has led to an increase in laws targeted at LGBTQIA+ individuals with an emphasis on transgeder individuals.
Bills that restrict and eliminate Transgender Care
Ohio House Bill 183 - Single Sex Bathrooms
2023 anti-trans legislation
Jennifer Aleman, right, joins others in Miami on March 9 to protest in front of the office of Florida state Sen. Ileana Garcia after the passage of the Parental Rights in Education bill.Joe Raedle / Getty Images file
Trevor Project
Civil Rights then and Now
Les Shigley
Created on July 16, 2024
A walk through the Civil Rights of the 1960s and the Civil Rights Issues since 2020
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Transcript
Civil Rights in America
1870-1964
Times and images that have changed the world
1896
1955
1961
1955
1964
1870
1954
1955
1957
1963
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Freedom Rides
Plessy v. Ferguson
Emmett Till Murdered
Civil Rights Act
March On Washignton
15th Amendment
Brown V Board
Rosa Parks Arrested
The Little Rock Nine
+info
+info
+info
+info
+info
The Hate Continues
2020-Present
2021
2023
2020
2022
2024
January 6 Riots
White Supremecy
Black Lives Matter
Transgender Rights
Christian Nationalism
+info
+info
+info
About this Project
Phase 1
I started this project wanting to link religion to the Civil Rights Movement. That led me to look into Joann Christian a 14-year-old girl arrested and abused for being part of the Student Nonviolent Coordinated Committee (SNCC)
Phase 2
Looking into Joan Christian led me to investigate the SNCC and how photography was used to advance the cause of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
Phase 3
I propose to create a website dedicated to photography from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee to explain what was happening in Mississippi and Georgia during that time frame. I plan to make a timeline-style website using primary sourced photographs and stories, as well as information from my focus article. This website will consist of multiple pages of text and images, complete with alternate text and captions. The website will contain a landing page with a timeline, associated images, and an about-the-project page. Each image on the timeline will open to an individual page that explains the context of the image, why that particular image is important, and what we as a society can learn from it. The website will also contain a bibliography page with direct links to sources. My goal is to help educate people about what student protests looked like in the 1960s and how nonviolence from the students' side was then and often still will be met with violence from those afraid of change. My intention in creating this compilation of information is to be as non-biased as possible while simultaneously considering the rights and freedoms of people that I hold dear. I report facts and do not speculate. As I mentioned in Project Number Two, we as a nation are currently facing Civil Rights issues again in the form of institutional and legislated bigotry. Part of the focus of this website will be to demonstrate the striking similarities to the issues that faced black voters in the South in the 1960s with issues of Gender Identity, Gender Expression, Women’s Reproductive rights, and proposed legislative changes that will undermine many of these hard-fought rights. While I know that this website will likely do little to encourage society to progress rather than digress in our freedoms and civil liberties, it is now, and has always been, my goal to speak for those who have no voice.
Bibliography
1. "Fifteenth Amendment." *Constitution Annotated Congress.Gov*, www.constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-15/. 2. "Fifteenth Amendment." *National Park Service*, www.nps.gov/articles/the-fifteenth-amendment.htm. 3. "Voter Registration." *New York Public Library Digital Collection*, www.digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-3fa4-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99. 4. "The Real Rosa Parks Story." *New York Times*, 1 Feb. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/02/01/opinion/rosa-parks.html. 5. *Plessy v. Ferguson*. 26 July 2024, *Wikipedia*, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plessy_v._Ferguson. 6. "Plessy V. Ferguson: Primary Documents in American History." *Library of Congress*, 16 Nov. 2020, guides.loc.gov/plessy-ferguson/introduction. 7. *Brown v. Board of Education*. 11 July 2024, *Wikipedia*, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education. 8. *Rosa Parks*. 18 July 2024, *Wikipedia*, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Parks. 9. "Montgomery Leader Tells His Story." *CRMVET*, www.crmvet.org/info/56nixon.htm. 10. "Little Rock Nine." *National Museum of African American History and Culture*, https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/little-rock-nine. 11. "Freedom Rides." *The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute*, kinginstitute.stanford.edu/freedom-rides.
Bibliography page 2
12. "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom." *The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute*, kinginstitute.stanford.edu/march-washington-jobs-and-freedom. 13. "Demonstrations and Political Violence in America: New Data for Summer 2020." *ACLED Data*, acleddata.com/2020/09/03/demonstrations-political-violence-in-america-new-data-for-summer-2020/. 14. "2023 Anti-trans Legislation." *Trans Legislation Tracker*, translegislation.com/bills/2023. 15. "God and Country Review: Rob Reiner’s Christian Nationalism Doc." *Hollywood Reporter*, www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/god-and-country-review-rob-reiner-christian-nationalism-doc-1235826254/. 16. "Project 2025." *The Heritage Foundation*, www.project2025.org/. 17. "White Supremacist Propaganda Incidents Soar to Record High in 2023." *Anti-Defamation League*, www.adl.org/resources/report/white-supremacist-propaganda-incidents-soar-record-high-2023. 18. "Get the Facts on Gender-Affirming Care." *Human Rights Campaign*, www.hrc.org/resources/get-the-facts-on-gender-affirming-care.
1955
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The arrest of Rosa Parks sparked an unintended movement. Mrs. Parks was well-regarded in the communities and was the Secretary of the local NAACP. The arrest spurred Mr. E.D. Nixon to start making phone calls to local ministers. These ministers formed the Montgomery Improvement Association and elected Martin Luther King Jr. as president. On Dec 5th, 1955, Dr. King gave his first of many. Civil Rights speeches.
Mass meeting at Holt Street Baptist Church calls for a bus boycott, December, 1955. https://www.crmvet.org/images/imgeyes.htm
Eventually, a group of women sued the city, and a Federal judge ruled that the segregation on the bus violated the 14th Amendment. On December 20, 1956, the US Supreme Court upheld the lower court's decision The Boycott ended 385 days after is started on December 21, 1956
The African American population of Montgomery, Alabama, made up 75% of the bus riders in the city. African American taxi drivers charged $0.10, the same price as the bus.
Read Speech here
1957
The Little Rock Nine
In September 1957, Nine African American teens were permitted to attend the newly built Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Governor Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to block the children from entering the school and getting an education. President Eisenhower mobilized the 101st Airborne Division on the United States Army to escort the children and demand that the National Guard stand down.
Four students and an Army escort on their way to Central High, with a crowd waiting in front of the school. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, © Ernest C. Withers
Click here to hear speech by President Eisenhower
1870
The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution
The Declaration of Independence said that All men are created equal
Not all people felt this way and some northern states felt that the African American man should not have this right just yet. In order to get this Amendment passed, some southern states were bullied into passing the amendment as part of their being allowed back into the union
Voter Registration, Macon, GA 1867 The New York Public Library Digital Collection https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-3fa4-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Fifteenth Amendment
Section 1 The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude– Section 2 The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
For Further information about the 15th Amendment
1870
The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution
The Declaration of Independence said that All men are created equal
Not all people felt this way and some northern states felt that the African American man should not have this right just yet. In order to get this Amendment passed, some southern states were bullied into passing the amendment as part of their being allowed back into the union
Voter Registration, Macon, GA 1867 The New York Public Library Digital Collection https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-3fa4-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Fifteenth Amendment
Section 1 The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude– Section 2 The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
For Further information about the 15th Amendment
1955
Rosa Parks Arrested for refusing to give up her seat
On December 1st 1955 Rosa Parks got on the city bus in Montgomery, Alabama after a long day at work. She sat in the first row of the "colored" section of the bus. The bus filled up and there was no more room in the 10 rows of the "White" section of the bus. Bus driver Frank Blake, who in 1943 left Mrs. Parks in the rain, came back and moved the "colored" section sign futher back in the bus, and demanded that she move. She was arrested for Civil Disobedience for breaking Alabama's segragation laws.
Rosa Parks, arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, December, 1955. https://www.crmvet.org/images/imgeyes.htm
"I would have to know for once and for all what rights I had as a human being and a citizen." (wikipedia)
"I thought of Emmett Till, and I just could not go back" (Wikipedia)
1963
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
On August 23, 1963, Civil Rights leaders met with members of Congress while more than 200,000 people gathered in front of the Washington Monument. The peaceful demonstrators started marching without the leadership present, who had to race to catch up. The march culminated with Dr. King giving his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. After the march, the Civil Rights leadership met with the Executive Branch in the White House. This meeting laid the groundwork for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965
I have a Dream
1955
Rosa Parks Arrested for refusing to give up her seat
On December 1st 1955 Rosa Parks got on the city bus in Montgomery, Alabama after a long day at work. She sat in the first row of the "colored" section of the bus. The bus filled up and there was no more room in the 10 rows of the "White" section of the bus. Bus driver Frank Blake, who in 1943 left Mrs. Parks in the rain, came back and moved the "colored" section sign futher back in the bus, and demanded that she move. She was arrested for Civil Disobedience for breaking Alabama's segragation laws.
Rosa Parks, arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, December, 1955. https://www.crmvet.org/images/imgeyes.htm
"I would have to know for once and for all what rights I had as a human being and a citizen." (wikipedia)
"I thought of Emmett Till, and I just could not go back" (Wikipedia)
1955
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The arrest of Rosa Parks sparked an unintended movement. Mrs. Parks was well-regarded in the communities and was the Secretary of the local NAACP. The arrest spurred Mr. E.D. Nixon to start making phone calls to local ministers. These ministers formed the Montgomery Improvement Association and elected Martin Luther King Jr. as president. On Dec 5th, 1955, Dr. King gave his first of many. Civil Rights speeches.
Mass meeting at Holt Street Baptist Church calls for a bus boycott, December, 1955. https://www.crmvet.org/images/imgeyes.htm
Eventually, a group of women sued the city, and a Federal judge ruled that the segregation on the bus violated the 14th Amendment. On December 20, 1956, the US Supreme Court upheld the lower court's decision The Boycott ended 385 days after is started on December 21, 1956
The African American population of Montgomery, Alabama, made up 75% of the bus riders in the city. African American taxi drivers charged $0.10, the same price as the bus.
Read Speech here
1954
Brown V Board of Education
In 1951 Oliver Brown and others filed a class action lawsuit against the Topeka, Kansas school district for refusing to allow his daughter to go to a local school, instead having to ride the bus across town to the "black" school.
In a rare (for the time) unanimous descision by the Supreme Court, they partially overturned part of Plessy V Ferguson in the schools could no longer be segregated.
Southern one-room, rural "Colored" school under the "separate-but-equal" dual system. https://www.crmvet.org/images/imgyoung.htm
Southern Responses to Board:
Read full Text
1955
Emmett Till Murdered
14 year old Emmett Till of Chicago was vistiting relatives in Mississippi when he "whistiled" at a white woman. The men came for him in the pre-dawn hours, made him get dressed and took him from the house. His body was found in the Tallahatchie River a few days later. The men that murdered Emmett were tried, and an all-male, all-white jury acquitted them after just over an hour of deliberation.
19XX
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1957
The Little Rock Nine
In September 1957, Nine African American teens were permitted to attend the newly built Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Governor Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to block the children from entering the school and getting an education. President Eisenhower mobilized the 101st Airborne Division on the United States Army to escort the children and demand that the National Guard stand down.
Four students and an Army escort on their way to Central High, with a crowd waiting in front of the school. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, © Ernest C. Withers
Click here to hear speech by President Eisenhower
1896
Plessy V Ferguson
In 1892 - Homer Plessy tried to ride in a "White Only" section of a train, was kicked off the train and he sued. On May 18, 1896, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Equal Protection statute of the 14th Amendment did apply to the newly freed population in the United States, providing that there were separate but equal facilities.
Separate but equal examples:
Click here to read full text
Negro drinking at "Colored" water cooler in streetcar terminal, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1939 - Library of Congress
More Information
1954
Brown V Board of Education
In 1951 Oliver Brown and others filed a class action lawsuit against the Topeka, Kansas school district for refusing to allow his daughter to go to a local school, instead having to ride the bus across town to the "black" school.
In a rare (for the time) unanimous descision by the Supreme Court, they partially overturned part of Plessy V Ferguson in the schools could no longer be segregated.
Southern one-room, rural "Colored" school under the "separate-but-equal" dual system. https://www.crmvet.org/images/imgyoung.htm
Southern Responses to Board:
Read full Text
1896
Plessy V Ferguson
In 1892 - Homer Plessy tried to ride in a "White Only" section of a train, was kicked off the train and he sued. On May 18, 1896, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Equal Protection statute of the 14th Amendment did apply to the newly freed population in the United States, providing that there were separate but equal facilities.
Separate but equal examples:
Click here to read full text
Negro drinking at "Colored" water cooler in streetcar terminal, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 1939 - Library of Congress
More Information
1963
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
On August 23, 1963, Civil Rights leaders met with members of Congress while more than 200,000 people gathered in front of the Washington Monument. The peaceful demonstrators started marching without the leadership present, who had to race to catch up. The march culminated with Dr. King giving his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. After the march, the Civil Rights leadership met with the Executive Branch in the White House. This meeting laid the groundwork for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965
I have a Dream
More information
1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964
President Kennedy laid the groundwork for Congress to pass a Civil Rights bill before his assassination in November 1963. When President Johnson took office, it was his number one priority to push Congress to pass legislation. "The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Provisions of this civil rights act forbade discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as, race in hiring, promoting, and firing." (Dol.gov)
Address by President Lyndon B. Johnson before signing the the Civil Rights Act of 1964
More Information
1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964
President Kennedy laid the groundwork for Congress to pass a Civil Rights bill before his assassination in November 1963. When President Johnson took office, it was his number one priority to push Congress to pass legislation. "The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Provisions of this civil rights act forbade discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as, race in hiring, promoting, and firing." (Dol.gov)
Address by President Lyndon B. Johnson before signing the the Civil Rights Act of 1964
More Information
1961
Freedom Rides
In the Summer of 1961, three groups—CORE, SCLC, and SNCC — organized to protest segregation on Interstate bus lines and terminals. These groups organized college students to ride the bus from Washington, DC, to Montgomery, Alabama. On Mother's Day, May 14, 1961, the buses entered Anniston, Alabama, where the local police had permitted the KKK to block the road to keep the buses from entering the town. The first bus was firebombed, and the students that were on the bus escaped into the angry mob outside and were beaten while the cops stood by and watched. As a result, CORE stopped all Freedom Rides, and SCLC and SNCC continued throughout the summer. Eventually, President Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy had to intervene. Below are links for more information about this issue.
CORE
SCLC
SNCC
Freedom Rides
1961
Freedom Rides
In the Summer of 1961, three groups—CORE, SCLC, and SNCC — organized to protest segregation on Interstate bus lines and terminals. These groups organized college students to ride the bus from Washington, DC, to Montgomery, Alabama. On Mother's Day, May 14, 1961, the buses entered Anniston, Alabama, where the local police had permitted the KKK to block the road to keep the buses from entering the town. The first bus was firebombed, and the students that were on the bus escaped into the angry mob outside and were beaten while the cops stood by and watched. As a result, CORE stopped all Freedom Rides, and SCLC and SNCC continued throughout the summer. Eventually, President Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy had to intervene. Below are links for more information about this issue.
CORE
SCLC
SNCC
Freedom Rides
2020
Black Lives Matter Protests
The killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Flyod, and Breonna Taylor by law enforcement officers sparked nationwide protests. The majority of Black Lives Matter protests were peaceful, just like the ones in the 1960s. The political climate in 2020 led to the media's focus on the violent protests, bringing with it an us against them mentality.
Remeber them
Left: Between 200,000 and 500,000 demonstrators march down Constitution Avenue during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington D.C., Aug. 28, 1963; Right: Protesters gather in Harlem to protest the recent death of George Floyd on May 30, 2020 in New York City.Hulton Archive/Getty Images; David 'Dee' Delgado—Getty Images
2020
Black Lives Matter Protests
The killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Flyod, and Breonna Taylor by law enforcement officers sparked nationwide protests. The majority of Black Lives Matter protests were peaceful, just like the ones in the 1960s. The political climate in 2020 led to the media's focus on the violent protests, bringing with it an us against them mentality.
Left: Between 200,000 and 500,000 demonstrators march down Constitution Avenue during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington D.C., Aug. 28, 1963; Right: Protesters gather in Harlem to protest the recent death of George Floyd on May 30, 2020 in New York City.Hulton Archive/Getty Images; David 'Dee' Delgado—Getty Images
2021
Trump Supporters storm the US Capital
On January 6th, 2021 encouraged by deceitful rhetoric from President Trump the crowd turned angry and violent and attempted to gain access to the Capital building to disrupt the Electoral vote count by Congress. 174 police officers were injured in the attack The Capital riots added to the nation's racial divide as many of the rioters carried Confederate flags.
BBC news broadcast of the capital riots from January 6th 2021
More information
2021
Trump Supporters storm the US Capital
On January 6th, 2021 encouraged by deceitful rhetoric from President Trump the crowd turned angry and violent and attempted to gain access to the Capital building to disrupt the Electoral vote count by Congress. 174 police officers were injured in the attack The Capital riots added to the nation's racial divide as many of the rioters carried Confederate flags.
BBC news broadcast of the capital riots from January 6th 2021
More information
2022
Multiple States pass bills enfringing on Transgender rights
The rise of Religious Right politicians in control of state governments has led to an increase in laws targeted at LGBTQIA+ individuals with an emphasis on transgeder individuals.
Bills that restrict and eliminate Transgender Care
Ohio House Bill 183 - Single Sex Bathrooms
2023 anti-trans legislation
Jennifer Aleman, right, joins others in Miami on March 9 to protest in front of the office of Florida state Sen. Ileana Garcia after the passage of the Parental Rights in Education bill.Joe Raedle / Getty Images file
Trevor Project
2023
The Rise of White Supremecy
According to the Anti-Defamation League, "for the second year in a row, ADL recorded its highest ever number of white supremacist propaganda incidents, with a total of 7,567 cases." (ADL) These individuals and groups want to turn the clock back to a time before the 14th Amendment
Sampling of fliers distributed by Patriot Front in 2023.
Christopher "Hammer" Pohlhaus leads a rally with the neo-Nazi groups Blood Tribe and Goyim Defense League in Orlando, Fla., on SaturdayStephanie Keith / Getty Images
2024
Title 1
Christian Nationalism
The "Christian" in Christian Nationalism is an identity marker, and it is used to assume that one is a white supremacist, born in the United States, and patriarchal. To call yourself an American assumes the identity that you are Christian.
God and Country from Hollywood Reporter
Project 2025 according to the Heritage Foundation is the 180 day Presidential transition plan for the next Republican President. It is a 922 page document to reshape the United States into a "Christian Nation"
Project 2025
2024
Title 1
Christian Nationalism
The "Christian" in Christian Nationalism is an identity marker, and it is used to assume that one is a white supremacist, born in the United States, and patriarchal. To call yourself an American assumes the identity that you are Christian.
God and Country from Hollywood Reporter
Project 2025 according to the Heritage Foundation is the 180 day Presidential transition plan for the next Republican President. It is a 922 page document to reshape the United States into a "Christian Nation"
Project 2025
2023
The Rise of White Supremecy
According to the Anti-Defamation League, "for the second year in a row, ADL recorded its highest ever number of white supremacist propaganda incidents, with a total of 7,567 cases." (ADL) These individuals and groups want to turn the clock back to a time before the 14th Amendment
Sampling of fliers distributed by Patriot Front in 2023.
Christopher "Hammer" Pohlhaus leads a rally with the neo-Nazi groups Blood Tribe and Goyim Defense League in Orlando, Fla., on SaturdayStephanie Keith / Getty Images
2022
Multiple States pass bills enfringing on Transgender rights
The rise of Religious Right politicians in control of state governments has led to an increase in laws targeted at LGBTQIA+ individuals with an emphasis on transgeder individuals.
Bills that restrict and eliminate Transgender Care
Ohio House Bill 183 - Single Sex Bathrooms
2023 anti-trans legislation
Jennifer Aleman, right, joins others in Miami on March 9 to protest in front of the office of Florida state Sen. Ileana Garcia after the passage of the Parental Rights in Education bill.Joe Raedle / Getty Images file
Trevor Project