Black history month

The civil rights movement was a time in America in which Blacks and other minorities started getting more independence and more equal rights. This movement required several courageous leaders and many life changing events occurred in order for America to become the integrated nation that it is today. A number of protests and boycotts took place but they were usually non-violent, (which the minorities discovered that the non-violent approach worked the best.) Throughout this period in time schools, public places and other everyday places slowly but surely became integrated.

One of the first major events that occurred was the Brown v. Board of Education case. Oliver Brown, who was an African American, had a daughter. The school at which she attended was far from her house and in order to get there she had to pass by a unruly neighborhood which she was uncomfortable walking through. There was a school right across the street from her house but since the rule was “separate but equal is constitutional” she could not attend it because it was a white only school. Her father complained and the case was taken to the Supreme Court. The ruling of Plessey v. Ferguson was overturned and the new ruling was that “separate but equal isn’t equal.” After this event most school became integrated.

The first time a jury became integrated was after the Hernandez v. Texas case. A Mexican, Pete Hernandez, was wrongly accused of murder. At his trail, which consisted only of white jurors, he was inaccurately proclaimed guilty. He thought that it was unfair because it was not a jury of his peers. He said that if he is being judged by people who don’t like Mexicans, then clearly they would say he was guilty. This case went to the Supreme Court and Mexicans and other minorities were finally allowed to be part of a jury.

The biggest and probably most famous boycott during the civil rights movement was the Montgomery Bus Boycott, after which buses were finally integrated and black