Following are dates and events for the Event Cards, along with facts that students might give.

G U I D E T O R E A D I N G N O T E S

Date: 1955–1956

Event: Montgomery Bus Boycott

Facts: The boycott is sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks.

On the first day, 90% of African Americans who usually ride the bus honor the boycott.

To make the boycott work, blacks organize an elaborate carpool system.

Martin Luther King Jr. earns a national reputation as a civil rights leaderAfter the boycott, he and other ministers form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

Date: 1957

Event: Integration of Central High School

Facts: Governor Faubus calls out the Arkansas National Guard to preventintegration.

President Eisenhower sends in federal troops to maintain order and enforce integration.

Nine African American students attend Central High School this year withmilitary bodyguards and under harassment from white students.

Date: 1960

Event: First lunch counter sit-in

Facts: At a sit-in, protesters sit down in a public place and refuse to move.The first sit-in is held by four black students at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.

They are joined by 20 other people on the second day.

Sit-ins spread across the South.

The Greensboro sit-ins lead to a boycott of Woolworth’s, which eventuallyagreed to serve blacks.

Date: 1961

Event: Freedom Rides

Facts: CORE organizes Freedom Rides to test whether southern states are complying with a Supreme Court ruling that segregation in interstate transportation is illegal.

Freedom riders face violence in Anniston, Alabama, when their bus is bombed.

The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) continues the rides after CORE abandons them.

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G U I D E T O R E A D I N G N O T E S

2© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute The Civil Rights Revolution: “Like a Mighty Stream”

Date: 1963

Event: Birmingham campaign

Facts: Birmingham is chosen as a site for a major campaign of nonviolentprotests because it is deeply segregated.

King and other demonstrators are arrested and jailed. King writes aletter explaining why African Americans are using civil disobedience toprotest segregation.

Police use attack dogs and high-pressure fire hoses to prevent protesters,including children, from marching.

Date: 1963

Event: March on Washington

Facts: On August 28, more than 250,000 people march in Washington, D.C.It is the largest political gathering ever held in the United States.

The most notable event of the day is Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have adream” speech.

At the time of the march, a civil rights bill is making its way throughCongress.

Date: 1964

Event: Civil Rights Act of 1964

Facts: Senators opposed to the bill filibuster, but the bill is passed andsigned into law.

The law bans discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, ornational origin.

The law is a landmark act and the most important civil rights legislationpassed since Reconstruction.

Date: 1965

Event: Voting Rights Act of 1965

Facts: The act outlaws literacy tests and other tactics used to deny blacksthe right to vote.

Efforts to secure voting rights prove quite successful. Between 1964 and1968, the number of blacks in Mississippi registered to vote rises from7% to 59%. Overall across the South, African American voter registrationgrows by more than 2 million.

Sections 2 to 4

Following are dates and events for the Event Cards, along with facts that students might give. Answers to the reflection questions will vary.

G U I D E T O R E A D I N G N O T E S

Date: 1959

Event: The Hate That Hate Produced airs

Facts: This weeklong television special features Malcolm X.

The show brings widespread attention to Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam.

Date: 1965

Event: Watts riot

Facts: Watts is an African American ghetto in Los Angeles.

In the six days of the riot, 34 people die, almost 900 are injured, and nearly 4,000 are arrested.

After more riots erupt in 1967, the Kerner Commission produces a detailed study of the riots and their causes.

Date: 1966

Event: Black Panther Party is founded

Facts: Bobby Seale and Huey Newton found the party in Oakland, California.

The Panther’s 10-point platform calls for black self-determination and improvements in jobs, housing, education, and police treatment.

The Panthers provide services for blacks in their community and send out observers to monitor interactions between police and blacks.

The Panthers carry weapons and are prepared to defend themselves.

Date: 1968

Event: Civil Rights Act of 1968

Facts: Congress passes the law days after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., who had taken on the issue of racial discrimination in housing.

The law includes a fair-housing component that bans discrimination in housing sales and rentals.

The law gives the federal government authority to file lawsuits against those who violate the law.

Redefining Equality: From Black Power to Affirmative Action 1© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute

G U I D E T O R E A D I N G N O T E S

Date: 1969

Event: Congressional Black Caucus is formed

Facts: In 1968, Shirley Chisholm of New York became the first woman to win election to the House of Representatives.

In 1969, the black members of the House of Representatives form the caucus.

Over the years, the caucus has worked to address legislative concerns of African Americans.

Date: 1971

Event: Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education

Facts: This case raises the question of whether de facto segregation caused by housing patterns is constitutional in North Carolina’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District.

A year earlier, a federal judge ordered the district to use busing to integrate its schools.

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court supports the busing plan.

Date: 1977

Event: Roots airs

Facts: This 12-hour miniseries is one of the most highly rated shows in TV history.

Based on a historical novel by Alex Haley, Roots tells the story of several generations of an enslaved black family.

More than 250 colleges plan courses around the broadcasts and more than 30 cities have “Roots” weeks.

Date: 1978

Event: Regents of the University of California v. Bakke

Facts: In the late 1970s, a white male, Allan Bakke, challenged preferential treatment in university admissions. He concluded that he had been refused admission to medical school based on his race and sued for reverse discrimination.

The Supreme Court is deeply divided on the case. Four judges are firmly against any use of race in university admissions. Another four feel just as strongly that race should be used.

Bakke wins the case and is admitted to medical school. The Court declares that race can be used as a criterion for college admission, but cannot be the only criterion.

Redefining Equality: From Black Power to Affirmative Action 2© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute

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N O T E B O O K H A N D O U T

1  The Civil Rights Revolution: “Like a Mighty Stream”

Event Cards

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