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Home Tent City: Stories of Civil Rights in Fayette County, Tennessee The Movement National Timeline 1965

National Civil Rights Timeline 1965

March 7, 1965

Bloody Sunday

Violence in Alabama | Source: FBI photo, Wikimedia

Police violence erupts against marchers in Alabama. This moment is thought to be the catalyst that pushes through the Voting Rights Act and is often referred to as Bloody Sunday.

In the Selma to Montgomery marches, police violence erupts against marchers in Alabama. This event becomes known as Bloody Sunday. This historical moment is one of the catalysts that results in the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

August 6, 1965

Voting Rights Act

Photo of President Johnson signing Voting Rights Act of 1965    |   Source: Wikimedia

September 24, 1965

Lyndon B. Johnson

Source: Special Collections, University of Memphis Libraries

President Lyndon Johnson signs Executive Order 11246, prohibiting employment discrimination based on race by government contractors. Government contractors were also to engage in affirmative action in hiring.