1954 - The Supreme Court rules against the "Separate but Equal" doctrine in Brown v. Board of Education.
1955 - President Eisenhower signs Executive Order 10590, creating a committee to enforce nondiscrimination in Federal Employment.
1955 - Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
1957 - President Eisenhower federalizes the National Guard and orders US Army troops to escort the Little Rock Nine to school.
1963 - 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama is bombed, killing four girls.
1963 - The March on Washington.
1964 - Mississippi Freedom Summer, college students from across the country register African American voters.
1965 - March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama results in attacks on peaceful marchers by State Troopers.
1965 - Voting Rights Act of 1965 signed into law.
1968 - Civil Rights Act of 1968 is signed into law.
Selma, Alabama (1965)
Image credit: Louisiana Weekly Feb. 27, 2012
This research guide will introduce you to sources at the Lehman College Lief Library that will help you research topics related to the American Civil Rights Movement from 1954-1968.
Where to begin?
Secondary materials, such as reference books and articles are a good place to begin your research process. Gaining a general understanding of a topic will be helpful before moving on to more specialized research.
For more details on required and elective courses for African American Studies Majors see the Lehman College African American Studies Department Page.
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This guide was created by Tamara Townsend in the Fall Semester of 2014.