Civil Rights Movement

Definition

The Civil Rights Movement was a struggle for social justice that took place mainly during the 1950s and 1960s for Black Americans to gain equal rights under the law in the United States.

Related terms

Brown v. Board of Education: This was a landmark Supreme Court case in 1954 where segregation in public schools was ruled unconstitutional, marking a major victory for the Civil Rights Movement.

Nonviolent Resistance: A strategy used by civil rights activists to achieve their goals through peaceful means such as sit-ins, boycotts, and marches. Martin Luther King Jr. is famous for advocating this approach.

Civil Rights Act of 1964: This significant legislation outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin - it ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools and workplaces.