Brown v. The Board of Education
What was the primary ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision?
Who was the Black seamstress arrested on December 1, 1955, for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger, sparking the boycott?
what is, Rosa Parks
Who were the Little Rock Nine?
what is, They were nine African American students chosen to integrate the previously all-white Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas
When did the Greensboro sit-in begin?
what is, It started on February 1, 1960
Who organized the Freedom Rides?
what is, The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
The Brown v. Board of Education decision directly overturned which 1896 Supreme Court ruling that had established the "separate but equal" doctrine?
what is, Plessy v. Ferguson
How long did the boycott last before the buses were finally desegregated?
what is, 381 days
Which Supreme Court ruling supported their right to attend the school?
what is, The 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, which declared that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional
Who were the four college students who started the protest?
what is, they were Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain, and Joseph McNeil, who became known as the Greensboro Four. They attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College
What specific laws or court rulings were the Freedom Riders testing?
what Is, They tested compliance with U.S. Supreme Court rulings
Which specific part of the United States Constitution did the Supreme Court rely on to declare public school segregation unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education?
what is, The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
Which newly formed organization coordinated the boycott, and who was chosen as its first president?
what is, The Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
What action did Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus take against the students?
what is, He deployed the Arkansas National Guard to block the students from entering the high school and defy federal desegregation orders
What was the protest about?
what is, They protested the segregated "whites only" policy at the lunch counter, where Black customers could buy items in the store but were not allowed to sit down and eat.
What major violent attack occurred in Anniston, Alabama?
what is, A hostile white mob followed a Greyhound bus with slashed tires and firebombed the vehicle, forcing the Freedom Riders to escape the burning bus while facing physical beatings.
In the 1955 implementation ruling known as Brown II, the Supreme Court directed lower federal courts to oversee school desegregation using what famous phrase?
what is, With all deliberate speed
What was the name of the Supreme Court case that ultimately declared Alabama's segregated bus laws unconstitutional?
what is, Browder v. Gayle
How did President Dwight D. Eisenhower respond to the governor's defiance?
what is, He federalized the National Guard and deployed federal troops from the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division to protect the students and escort them safely into the school
How did the number of people participating change over the first few days?
what is, The number grew rapidly from just four students on the first day to over 20 students on the second day, about 60 on the third day, and hundreds by the end of the week
What happened when the Freedom Riders arrived in Jackson, Mississippi?
what is, After continuing their journey, the activists were promptly arrested and jailed for attempting to use "whites-only" facilities at the bus terminal.
Though known universally as Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court's 1954 ruling was actually a legal consolidation of how many distinct cases originating from different states and locations?
what is, Five cases, including actions from Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, and Washington, D.C.
What specific, highly organized transit system did the boycott leaders create to ensure thousands of Black citizens could still get to work every day without using the buses?
what is, A massive carpool system involving private vehicles, church-owned station wagons ("shoeshine clippers"), and volunteer drivers, complete with scheduled dispatch stations.
Who was the first African American student to graduate from the school?
what is, Ernest Green became the first to graduate, finishing his studies at Central High School in May 1958
On what date did the Woolworth's lunch counter finally serve its first Black customers sitting down?
what is, The lunch counter was officially desegregated on July 25, 1960, after months of peaceful protests and economic losses for the store
What was the ultimate result of the Freedom Rides?
what is, The sustained national and international pressure led the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to issue strict new regulations that effectively ended segregation in public transit terminals across the South.