History · Week 8
Court cases and campaigns that challenged segregation.
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) allowed 'separate but equal.' Brown v. Board of Education (1954) rejected that for public schools.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott, sit-ins, and Freedom Rides used nonviolent protest to challenge Jim Crow rules.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned segregation in public places and job discrimination. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 protected the ballot.
Leaders included many local organizers as well as national figures. Court rulings and street campaigns worked together.