1. How were civil rights expanded for African Americans during the 1950s and 1960s?

2. In the 1954 case Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court ruled that public schools were required to be desegregated.

3. Chief Justice Earl Warren
The constitutional basis for the Supreme Court’s ruling in this case was the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of “equal protection of the law”.
Chief Justice Earl Warren
(1953–1969)

4. During the 1950s and 1960s, Martin Luther King, Jr
During the 1950s and 1960s, Martin Luther King, Jr. (and other civil rights leaders) encouraged people to engage in civil disobedience in order to achieve greater civil rights.

7. Following the March on Washington in 1963 and King’s famous “I have a dream . . .” speech, new civil rights legislation was passed in the U.S.

8. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed to end public discrimination based on race or sex.
July 2, 1964

9. The 24th Amendment was ratified in 1964 to end poll taxes.
January 23, 1964

10. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed to end literacy tests and increase African American voter registration.
August 6, 1965