Civil Rights Movement: History of the American Struggle for Social Justice

Between 1954 and 1968, the American Civil Rights Movement surged as a political force, aiming to dismantle entrenched racial segregation, discrimination, and the disenfranchisement of marginalized communities across the United States. Its origins trace back to the post-Civil War Reconstruction era, but its most significant legislative victories came during the mid-1960s, following years of tireless activism and grassroots mobilization. Through bold acts of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience, the movement catalyzed the enactment of new federal laws safeguarding the civil rights of all Americans.

The Reconstruction Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, ratified after the Civil War, extended fundamental freedoms and citizenship rights to African Americans, many of whom had recently emerged from slavery. Despite brief periods of political participation and representation, African Americans faced systemic oppression, particularly in the South, where Jim Crow laws enforced segregation and subjected them to discrimination and violence at the hands of white supremacists. Throughout the following century, African Americans persistently fought for their rights, as evidenced by earlier civil rights movements.

Key legal victories, notably the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, dealt a significant blow to the "separate but equal" doctrine underpinning Jim Crow laws. This pivotal decision laid the groundwork for subsequent activism, sparking a wave of nonviolent protests and civil disobedience across the nation. Iconic moments, like the Montgomery bus boycott, the Greensboro sit-ins, and the Selma to Montgomery marches, exemplified the power of peaceful resistance in challenging entrenched injustices.