"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."
A series of social and political movements that sought to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans, which gained steam in the 1950s and 60s.
Jim Crow Laws: The legal segregation of whites and blacks in southern states of America.
Brown v. Board of Education: The landmark case that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
Montgomery Bus Boycott: The first large-scale protest against segregation in the country.
Civil Rights Act of 1964: The federal law that outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, and national origin.
Voting Rights Act of 1965: The law that prohibited discriminatory voting practices.
Freedom Rides: Protests against segregation in interstate bus travel.
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: A peaceful demonstration to demand civil rights and economic equality.
Black Power Movement: A political and social movement emphasizing racial pride, self-determination, and political and economic power.
Selma to Montgomery March: A march to demand voting rights for African Americans.
Sit-ins: Demonstrations in which protesters occupied seats at segregated establishments and refused to leave.
Independent black political power: The rise of black political power in southern states.
Malcolm X: A charismatic, controversial figure who advocated for black nationalism.
Bloody Sunday: The violent confrontation between civil rights protesters and state troopers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.
Black Panthers: A militant African American organization that advocated for black rights, self-defense, and economic self-sufficiency.
Feminism: The movement for gender equality, which was intertwined with the Civil Rights Movement.
Women's Rights Movement: A movement to secure legal, economic, and social equality for women.
LGBTQ Rights Movement: A movement to secure legal recognition and protection of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals.
Disability Rights Movement: A movement to secure legal recognition and protection of the rights of people with disabilities, including equal access to employment, education, housing, and other opportunities.
Racial Justice Movement: A movement to secure legal recognition and protection of the rights of people of color, including equal treatment under the law, access to economic opportunities, and protection from discrimination.
Immigrant Rights Movement: A movement to secure legal recognition and protection of the rights of immigrants, including access to education, employment, health care, and other benefits.
Environmental Justice Movement: A movement to secure legal recognition and protection of the rights of individuals and communities disproportionately affected by environmental hazards and pollution.
Indigenous Rights Movement: A movement to secure legal recognition and protection of the rights of indigenous communities, including the preservation of their cultural heritage and sovereignty over their lands.
Workers' Rights Movement: A movement to secure legal recognition and protection of the rights of workers, including fair wages, safe working conditions, and the right to unionize.
Children's Rights Movement: A movement to secure legal recognition and protection of the rights of children, including access to education, health care, and protection from violence and exploitation.
Peace and Anti-War Movements: Movements to promote nonviolent conflict resolution and to protest against military actions and wars.
"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."