In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was the leader of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted from 1955 to 1956 and was a major turning point in the Civil Rights Movement.

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was founded in 1957 by Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights activists to coordinate nonviolent protests against segregation and discrimination.

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place on August 28, 1963, and was a major turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech at this march.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in employment, public accommodations, and government programs.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark piece of legislation that outlawed racial discrimination in voting and established federal oversight of voter registration and elections in areas with a history of racial discrimination.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while in Memphis, Tennessee, to support a strike by sanitation workers.

Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965, while giving a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City.

Medgar Evers was assassinated on June 12, 1963, while returning home from work in Jackson, Mississippi.

James Meredith was the first African American to enroll at the University of Mississippi in 1962, after a long and difficult legal battle.

The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was founded in 1960 by a group of African American college students who were committed to nonviolent direct action to achieve civil rights.

The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was founded in 1942 by A. Philip Randolph, a prominent African American labor leader and civil rights activist.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in 1909 by W.E.B. Du Bois and other African American intellectuals and activists to fight for the civil rights of African Americans.

Malcolm X was a prominent advocate for black nationalism and Pan-Africanism, and was a leading figure in the Nation of Islam.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a prominent advocate for nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience, and was a leading figure in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).