From Emmett Till to Barack Obama

Jesse Jackson
In 1984, Jesse Jackson announced that he would seek the presidency, making him the second African American to seek the post (Shirley Chisholm tried in 1972). Though Jackson won only five primaries and caucuses, the results encouraged him to try again in 1988, when he mounted a much better organized and financed campaign. He ultimately lost the nomination to Michael Dukakis, but was invited to speak at the convention in July, where he brought Rosa Parks onto the stage with him.

• TIME's 2008 Person of the Year
• The Assasination of Martin Luther King, Jr.