Martin Luther King
On January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, Martin Luther King Jr. was born. He was born the middle child and grew up in a loving and secure home. He attended Booker T. Washington highschool where he skipped both the ninth and eleventh grade. At the young age of 15, King began to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta where he revieved a degree in sociology. He then went on to eventually become pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church of Montgomery. Martin Luther King Jr. played a crutial role in helping the country end legal segregation. He was the leader of the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) and created the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was a Civil Rights Activist. She was born on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama. She was best known for her Montgomery Bus Boycott. On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks stood up for what she believed in. She said no to a man that asked her to get up on the bus. Because she was African American she was supposed to offer up her seat if a white man or woman did not have one. However, Rosa refused to give up her seat and she was then arrested for her actions. A massive Boycott of the Montgomery Bus System then began. It lasted for over a year. Several African American Civil Rights leaders joined in the fight to defend Rosa Parks and her decision to say no. She was a very brave woman and stood up for what she believed in even though she knew she was in a dangerous position.
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was a Civil Rights Activist and a wonderful attorney. He was born on July 2, 1908 in Baltimore. He worked for the NAACP and won several cases that were against segregation. His first victory was in a case known as Murray vs. Pearson in which an African American student had been denied admission to a law school strictly because of his race. In this case the judge agreed that the discrimination was illegal. Marshall was also a chief counsel for the NAACP and was a big part of the American Civil Rights Movement.
Malcom X
Malcom X was born on May 19, 1925. His birth name was Malcom Little but he changed his last name to X because Little was the slave name given to his grandfather. He was very passionate about the work that he did for the Cvil Rights Movement. At one point he was the leader of a group called The Nation of Islam a.k.a the Black Muslims. This group believed in self-defense rather than violence. After Malcom had been with them for a while he had come to realize of the other ways there were to protest segregation and discrimination. He then left The Nation of Islam to go out and help the African american communities on other, more peaceful ways. However, sadly, Malcom X was assassinated by three members of the Nation of Islam in 1965.
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the united States of America. He is usually not directly associated with the civil rights. However, he did support many of the movements while he was alive and in office. During all his speeches he made it clear that he was a supporter of the Civil Rights Movement. JFK never really did anything remarkable to help the Civil Rights Movement and he actually voted against one of the bills proposed in 1957. The reason for this is because segregation and discrimination were at the bottom of importance when it came to what needed to be done in America. However, it probably should have been at the top. The example of JFK shows how society can influence anyone or anything and thats why racial discrimination and segregation got out of control.
Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges was born on September 8, 1954 in Tylertown, Mississippi and then she and her family later moved to New Orleans. Ruby Bridges is an important figure in Civil Rights history. She was the first African American to go to an all white school. Her father feared that if she went to an all white school he and his family would be harmed due to such hate in the city. However, her mother pushed for her to go because she wanted her daughter to have a better education. Many whites threatened Ruby saying things like if she went to the all white school they would poison her or hurt her. When Ruby got into school, US Marshalls had to walk with her and protect her from the angry white people. By the third day of school Ruby was the only one in her class and was taught on a whole different fool from the other kids. What Ruby did was such a brave action. She paved the way for other African Americans who could look at her story for support or guidance.