The movement that tried to end racial discrimination in the United States is known as the Civil Rights Movement. It took place primarily from the mid-1950s to the late 1960s and aimed to abolish legalized racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement, especially affecting African Americans
Causes
- Racial segregation and discrimination were legally enforced under Jim Crow laws in the South after the Reconstruction era.
- African Americans faced disenfranchisement, violence, and systemic barriers in voting, housing, education, and employment.
- The Supreme Court's 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision upheld "separate but equal" segregation, further entrenching discrimination
Methods
- Nonviolent protests and civil disobedience, including boycotts (e.g., Montgomery bus boycott), sit-ins, freedom rides, and marches (e.g., Selma to Montgomery, March on Washington).
- Legal challenges through the courts, such as Brown v. Board of Education (1954) which struck down school segregation.
- Voter registration drives and lobbying for legislative reforms.
- Mass demonstrations, notably the 1963 March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech
Results
- Landmark legislation including:
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964, banning discrimination in public accommodations, employment, and federally assisted programs.
- The Voting Rights Act of 1965, outlawing discriminatory voting practices and enabling federal oversight.
- The Fair Housing Act of 1968, prohibiting housing discrimination.
- Supreme Court rulings that ended segregation in public schools and transportation, and struck down laws banning interracial marriage.
- Increased political participation and legal protections for African Americans, though racial inequality and opposition persisted
The Civil Rights Movement fundamentally reshaped American society by legally dismantling institutional racial discrimination and securing civil rights protections for African Americans and other minorities.
