1849-1899
- In 1849, the Massachusetts Supreme Court rules that segregated schools are permissible under the state's constitution.
- From 1861 to 1865 the civil war takes place, and the Thirteenth Amendment is enacted to abolish slavery.
- In 1896, the Supreme Court authorizes segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson, finding Louisiana's "separate but equal" law constitutional.
1900-1949
- In 1938, the Maryland Supreme Court orders the state's white law school to enroll a black student because there is no state-supported law school for Blacks in Maryland.
- In 1940, 30% of Americans - 40% of Northerners and 2% of Southerners - believe that Blacks and Whites should attend the same schools.
1950-1999
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- In 1954, in an unanimous opinion, the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education overturns Plessy and declares that separate schools are "inherently unequal."
- In Sussex County, DE, The National Association for the Advancement of White People interfered with the desegregation process. This led to additional legal action, and slowed desegregation in the communities surrounding Bridgeville.
- In 1956, 49% of Americans — 61% of Northerners and 15% of Southerners — believe that Whites and Blacks should attend the same schools.
- In 1963, 62% of Americans — 73% of Northerners and 31% of Southerners — believe Blacks and Whites should attend the same schools.
- In 1964, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is adopted. Title IV of the Act authorizes the federal government to file school desegregation cases. Title VI of the Act prohibits discrimination in programs and activities, including schools, receiving federal financial assistance.
- In 1968, riots in Wilmington after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. led to a ten month occupation by the National Guard.
2000-Present
- In 2002, a report from Harvard's Civil Rights Project concludes that America's schools are resegregating.
- In 2003, a study by Harvard's Civil Rights Project finds that schools were more segregated in 2000 than in 1970 when busing for desegregation began.
- In 2007, the Supreme Court finds voluntary school integration plans described in Parents Involved unconstitutional, paving the way for contemporary school segregation to escalate. The nation marks the 50th anniversary of the Little Rock Nine.