People, Locations, Episodes

Rosa Parks Is Arrested In Montgomery, Ala.

On this date in 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in the “Whites only” section of a public bus in Montgomery, AL. She was arrested and agreed to let the NAACP provide legal council.

Rosa Parks’ case was filed in United States District Court, which ruled in her favor, declaring segregated seating on buses unconstitutional, a decision later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

This incident set in motion the turning point in the 20th century African American battle for civil rights.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott Begins

On this date in 1955, the Montgomery Bus Boycott occurred. This was one of the pivotal starting points of the modern civil rights movement in America.

The ‘Greenboro Six’, a story

This date in 1955 marks the incident of the “Greensboro Six,” a racial episode involving blacks and whites.

It took place at a golf course in Greensboro, N.C. On the morning of December 7, 1955, an early winter day, George C. Simkins, Jr. awaited the arrival of five golf partners, a regular occurrence. When they wanted a change of pace, they would meet and drive to High Point or Charlotte or Durham to play one of the few courses open to people of color.

Sudan Gains Independence From Britain

The anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Sudan was formally established on this date in 1956. Egypt and the United Kingdom immediately recognized the new nation at that time.

Sudan became a member of the Arab League on January 19 and of the United Nations on November 12. The first general parliamentary elections after Sudan attained independence were held on February 27, 1958. The Umma Party won a majority and formed a new government on March 20.

Browder v. Gayle is Filed

*On this date in 1956, Fred Gray filed the case of Browder v. Gayle in U.S. District Court. (Browder was a Montgomery housewife; Gayle the mayor of Montgomery).

Morocco Gains Independence From France

*On this date in 1956, Morocco gained independence from France. In 1844, after the French conquered Algeria, the Franco-Moroccan War took place, with the bombardment of Tangiers, the Battle of Isly, and the bombardment of Mogador. This was a prelude to the Berlin Conference, the high point of white European competition for African territory, a […]

The ‘Southern Manifesto,’ is Enacted

*On this date in 1956, we recall the enactment of the “Southern Manifesto.” This was a legislative challenge to defeat the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v BOE in 1954.
Case number 102 Cong. Rec. 4515-16 1956 was signed by 19 Senators and 81 Representatives from the South including all of Georgia’s congressional delegation.

The Tallahassee Bus Boycott Begins

*On this date in 1956, the Tallahassee bus boycott began. This citywide boycott in Tallahassee, Florida, sought to end racial segregation in the city’s transit employment and seating arrangements. In the Jim Crow South, not only were buses segregated, with white riders at the front and Blacks in the back, but if there were no free Black […]

Davis v. Prince Edward Co. School Board is Decided

*Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County was decided on this date in 1956. Although filed in May 1951, it was one of the five cases combined into Brown v. Board of Education, in which the U.S. Supreme Court 1954, officially overturned racial segregation in U.S. public schools.   In 1951, Spottswood Robinson […]

The Clinton 12 Students Desegregate Tennessee Schools

*On this date in 1956, the Clinton 12 broke the color barrier in K-12 education in the American South.

That day, twelve young African American students walked into history in Clinton, TN. They were the first students to desegregate a state-supported high school in the south.

The Clinton 12 were, Maurice Soles, Anna Theresser Caswell, Alfred Williams, Regina Turner Smith, William R. Latham, Gail Ann Epps Upton, Ronald Gordon “Poochie” Hayden, JoAnn Crozier Allen Boyce, Robert Thacker, Bobby Cain, Minnie Ann Dickey Jones and Alvah McSwain.

The South Africa Treason Trial Begins

*On this date in 1956, the South Africa Treason trial began. This Treason Trial was a prosecution in Johannesburg in which 156 primarily Black citizens were arrested in a raid and accused of treason in South Africa. On December 5 of that year, the South African Police’s Security Branch raided and arrested 140 people from […]

Ghana Gains Independence From Britain

*On this date in 1957, Ghana became the first African nation to achieve freedom from colonial rule.

British Parliament, in January 1957, passed the Ghana Independence Act, and the first week of March that year, the National Assembly of Ghana issued an independence proclamation, then joining the United Nations. The dominant political party of the new nation was the Convention People’s party (CPP), headed by Kwame Nkrumah, who was the country’s first prime minister. On February 24, 1966, Nkrumah, who was on a state visit to China, was overthrown in a military coup.

Martin Luther King Jr. Gives His “Give Us The Ballot” Speech

*On May 17, 1957, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “Give Us the Ballot” speech. Dr. King addresses 25,000 people in Washington, D.C. at the Lincoln Memorial for the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom. He suggested that all politicians’ “betrayal” of disenfranchised Americans offered the ultimate argument for why the struggle for voting rights is essential […]

The ‘Prayer Pilgrimage For Freedom’ Demonstration, a story

*On this date in 1957, the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom demonstration occurred. It took place in Washington, D.C., an early event in the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The demonstration marked the third anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education (1954), a landmark Supreme Court ruling that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, […]

The Little Rock Nine, a story

*The Little Rock Nine is celebrated on this date in 1957. The Little Rock Nine were nine African American students who were first denied but eventually enrolled to integrate Arkansas Little Rock Central High School. The U.S. Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education decision occurred on May 17, 1954. Tied to the Fourteenth Amendment, the decision declared […]