Timeline Of African American Civil Rights Movement. 1879 the black exodus takes place, in which tens of thousands of african americans migrated from southern states to kansas. Speakers included martin luther king jr., john lewis, whitney young of the urban league, and roy wilkins of the naacp.

In 1787 slavery was made illegal in the northwest territory. The 13th amendment, abolishing slavery, is ratified. Here are a few of the major events that shaped the civil rights movement.