1960s Timeline

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Sep 6, 2021

Kennedy Sees Progress in Civil Rights

Sept. 6, 1961 - President Kennedy today called the peaceful integration of many schools in the South a "dramatic demonstration of...

Sep 1, 2021

Nine Men Indicted in Firebombing of Freedom Rider Bus

Sept. 1, 1961 - Nine men accused of bombing the first "freedom rider" bus to enter Alabama have been indicted by a Federal grand jury....

Aug 30, 2021

Atlanta Public Schools Integrate Peacefully

Aug. 30, 1961 - Public school desegregation came peacefully today to Atlanta despite efforts by a handful of racists to disrupt the...

Aug 25, 2021

Two Freedom Riders Convicted of Breach of Peace in Jackson, Mississippi

Aug. 25, 1961 - A County Court jury in Jackson, Miss., convicted a second Freedom Rider today on appeal from a City Court conviction. The...

Aug 21, 2021

First Freedom Riders Arrested in Louisiana Convicted of Breach of Peace

Aug. 21, 1961 - Louisiana District Judge John A. Dixon Jr. found six Negro Freedom Riders guilty today of having an intent to provoke a...

Aug 16, 2021

Rev. Martin Luther King Announces "Stand-Ins" at Voter Registration Sites

Aug. 16, 1961 - A program of "stand-ins" at registration points will be started soon in the South, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr....

Aug 15, 2021

James Meredith, Negro Veteran, Seeks to Enter University of Mississippi

Aug. 15, 1961 - Attorneys for James H. Meredith (pictured), 28, a Negro seeking entry to the University of Mississippi, rested their case...

Aug 13, 2021

Rev. Martin Luther King Sees End to Freedom Rides Soon

Aug. 13, 1961 - The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King said in New York today that Negro integration leaders would end the Freedom Rides when...

Aug 12, 2021

Alabama Senate Passes Bill to Prohibit Freedom Rides in Alabama

Aug. 12, 1961 - The Alabama Senate gave swift approval today to a bill to prohibit Freedom Rides in Alabama. The House-passed bill was...

Aug 8, 2021

State Department Officer Quits Metropolitan Club over Segregation Policy

Aug. 8, 1961 - Angier Biddle Duke, the State Department's chief of protocol, has resigned from the Metropolitan Club in a dispute over...

Aug 7, 2021

In Africa, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy Affirms U.S. Civil Rights Goals

Aug. 7, 1961 - Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy said today at a news conference in Ivory Coast, a country on the south coast of West...

Aug 3, 2021

U.S. Files Three Civil Rights Suits, Says Negroes Denied Voting Rights in South

Aug. 3, 1961 - The U.S. Government filed three civil rights suits today which charged that Negroes had been denied voting rights in...

Jul 27, 2021

Dallas Restaurants Integrated Peacefully

July 27, 1961 - A total of 159 Negroes dined at 36 previously all-white restaurants and cafeterias in Dallas today. The Dallas Citizens...

Jul 23, 2021

Vice President Johnson Speaks on Civil Rights (video)

July 23, 1961 - Here is Vice President Johnson's speech today on civil rights at the National Governors Conference. #LBJ #civilrights...

Jul 23, 2021

Racial Tension on Florida Beaches

July 23, 1961 - About 75 Negroes staged "wade-ins" at six spots on Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., beaches today, and one was arrested on a...

Jul 21, 2021

RFK to Clergy: Help Fight Racial Discrimination

July 21, 1961 - Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy today urged the nation's clergymen, especially those in the South, to take a more...

Jul 17, 2021

Chicago Police Appeal for Calm Amidst Racial Strife

July 17, 1961 - James B. Conlisk (pictured), Superintendent of the Police, appealed today for a sense of community responsibility to ease...

Jul 16, 2021

Racial Tension in Chicago

July 16, 1961 - Two hundred policemen arrested nine white men today at Rainbow Beach in Chicago. The arrests were made for refusing to...

Jul 12, 2021

NAACP Has Praise and Criticism for President Kennedy

July 12, 1961 - Members of the NAACP called on President Kennedy today to praise and criticize his actions on civil rights. Bishop...

Jul 7, 2021

Freedom Riders Arrested in Jackson, Mississippi

July 7, 1961 - Eight more Freedom Riders were arrested in Jackson, Miss., today after refusing orders to leave the white waiting room...