"The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement in the country."
The social movement, primarily during the 1950s and 1960s, for African Americans to achieve legal equality in the United States, including landmark events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, and the Voting Rights Act.
Slavery in America: A study of the history of slavery in America and its roots is important when studying Civil Rights Movement as the struggle for equality began long before the 1960s.
Jim Crow laws: Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation and discrimination in the southern United States from the late 1800s to the mid-1960s.
Brown v. Board of Education: The landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1954 that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
Civil Rights Act of 1964: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Montgomery Bus Boycott: The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a political and social protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system in Montgomery, Alabama.
Martin Luther King Jr.: A civil rights activist who became a prominent figure in the civil rights movement and advocated nonviolent resistance against racial discrimination.
Malcolm X: A charismatic and controversial leader in the Nation of Islam who advocated for black separatism and self-defense.
Black Panthers: A revolutionary black nationalist organization that sought to achieve economic, social, and political equality for black Americans.
Voting Rights Act of 1965: A landmark legislation that prohibited discrimination in voting, such as literacy tests and poll taxes.
Freedom Riders: A group of civil rights activists who rode interstate buses and challenged racial segregation in the southern United States.
Little Rock Nine: A group of nine African American students who enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957 and faced intense opposition and violence from segregationist groups.
Ruby Bridges: An African American girl who, in 1960, became the first black child to attend an all-white elementary school in the South.
Civil rights protests and marches: A wide variety of demonstrations, sit-ins, and marches that aimed to bring attention to racial inequality and challenge the status quo.
Freedom summer: A voter registration drive and educational initiative in Mississippi in 1964, which aimed to increase black voter registration in the state.
Black codes: A series of laws and regulations, passed in the southern United States from 1865 to 1866, that were designed to restrict the rights and freedoms of newly freed slaves.
Loving v. Virginia: A U.S. Supreme Court case in 1967 that declared laws banning interracial marriage unconstitutional.
Affirmative action: A set of policies and initiatives that aim to promote diversity and increase opportunities for underrepresented groups, including people of color.
Black Lives Matter: A social justice movement that emerged in response to police brutality and systemic racism against black Americans, founded in 2013.
Reparations: The idea that the United States should provide restitution to African Americans for the damages caused by slavery and systemic racism.
Intersectionality: A concept that explores the intersections of various forms of oppression and discrimination, such as racism, sexism, homophobia, and ableism, in the lives of individuals and communities.
Abolitionist Movement: This movement advocated for the abolition of slavery in the United States.
Reconstruction Era: This period aimed to address the issues of slavery and discrimination against African Americans after the end of the Civil War.
Jim Crow Era: This era enforced racial segregation in the United States and was characterized by the institution of a variety of discriminatory laws.
Brown v. Board of Education: This Supreme Court decision ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
Montgomery Bus Boycott: African Americans boycotted the Montgomery, Alabama bus system to protest against segregation on public transportation.
Civil Rights Act of 1964: This legislation prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Voting Rights Act of 1965: This legislation abolished discriminatory voting practices and established federal oversight of elections.
Black Power Movement: This movement emphasized the need for African American self-determination and advocated for black nationalism.
Women's Rights Movement: This movement fought against gender discrimination and advocated for equal rights for women.
LGBTQ+ Rights Movement: This movement fought against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Disability Rights Movement: This movement aimed to secure equal rights and opportunities for people with disabilities.
Environmental Justice Movement: This movement addressed the disproportionate impact of environmental degradation on low-income communities and communities of color.
Immigration Rights Movement: This movement advocates for the rights of immigrants and works to combat anti-immigrant discrimination.
Anti-Apartheid Movement: This movement aimed to end the system of racial segregation in South Africa.
"The movement had its origins in the Reconstruction era during the late 19th century and had its modern roots in the 1940s."
"The movement made its largest legislative gains in the 1960s after years of direct actions and grassroots protests."
"African Americans were subjected to discrimination and sustained violence by white supremacists in the South."
"At the culmination of a legal strategy pursued by African Americans, in 1954 the Supreme Court struck down many of the laws that had allowed racial segregation and discrimination to be legal in the United States as unconstitutional."
"The Warren Court made a series of landmark rulings against racist discrimination, including the separate but equal doctrine, such as Brown v. Board of Education (1954), Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States (1964), and Loving v. Virginia (1967) which banned segregation in public schools and public accommodations."
"The Civil Rights Act of 1964 explicitly banned all discrimination based on race, including racial segregation in schools, businesses, and in public accommodations."
"The Voting Rights Act of 1965 restored and protected voting rights by authorizing federal oversight of registration and elections in areas with historic under-representation of minority voters."
"The Fair Housing Act of 1968 banned discrimination in the sale or rental of housing."
"The emergence of the Black Power movement, which lasted from 1965 to 1975, challenged Black leaders of the movement for its cooperative attitude and its adherence to legalism and nonviolence."
"Its leaders demanded not only legal equality, but also economic self-sufficiency for the community."
"Martin Luther King Jr. was the most visible leader of the movement."
"From 1964 through 1970, a wave of riots and protests in black communities dampened support from the white middle class, but increased support from private foundations."
"African Americans who had seen little material improvement since the civil rights movement's peak in the mid-1960s, and still faced discrimination in jobs, housing, education and politics."
"The movement was characterized by nonviolent mass protests and civil disobedience following highly publicized events such as the lynching of Emmett Till. These included boycotts such as the Montgomery bus boycott, 'sit-ins' in Greensboro and Nashville, a series of protests during the Birmingham campaign, and a march from Selma to Montgomery."
"After the American Civil War and the subsequent abolition of slavery in the 1860s, the Reconstruction Amendments to the United States Constitution granted emancipation and constitutional rights of citizenship to all African Americans, most of whom had recently been enslaved."
"Various efforts were made by African Americans to secure their legal and civil rights, such as the civil rights movement (1865–1896) and the civil rights movement (1896–1954)."
"These included boycotts such as the Montgomery bus boycott..."
"Loving v. Virginia (1967) which banned segregation in public schools and public accommodations, and struck down all state laws banning interracial marriage."
"However, some scholars note that the movement was too diverse to be credited to any particular person, organization, or strategy."