Jim Crow laws were adopted by most Southern states after the end of Reconstruction.

The Supreme Court decision in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) permitted racial segregation so long as facilities were separate but equal. This type of segregation endured for nearly sixty years.

In the Brown v. Board of Education case, a father fought the issue of racial segregation in the schools. He lost and the case was appealed to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court decision in the case of Brown v Board of Education (1954) ended school segregation but was difficult to enforce.

On today's episode, we discuss how racial segregation and discrimination was deeply entrenched in American life in the 1950s.

Integration Report 1 is a civil rights documentary covering the year between 1959 and 1960 in Montgomery, Alabama, in Brooklyn, New York, and in Washington, D.C..

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has played a critical role in improving the lives of African Americans in its battle against all types of racial discrimination.

Listen to audio excerpts from some of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s greatest speeches. There is a large selection available in RealAudio or QuickTime formats.