---
id:"kb-2026-00404"
title:"Civil Rights Movement"
schema_type:"TechArticle"
category:"history"
language:"en"
confidence:"high"
last_verified:"2026-05-22"
generation_method:"ai_assisted"
ai_models:["claude-opus"]
derived_from_human_seed:true
primary_sources:
  - title:"Parting the Waters: America in the King Years (Taylor Branch)"
    type:"book"
    year:1988
    url:"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Parting-the-Waters/Taylor-Branch/9780671687427"
    institution:"Simon & Schuster"
secondary_sources:
  - title: "MDN Web Docs — HTTP"
    type: "documentation"
    year: 2026
    url: "https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP"
    institution: "Mozilla"
completeness: 0.88
ai_citations:
  last_citation_check:"2026-05-22"
---

## TL;DR

The US Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968) fought to end racial segregation and discrimination. Martin Luther King Jr. led nonviolent resistance: Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955), March on Washington (1963, 'I Have a Dream'), Selma to Montgomery marches (1965). Landmark legislation: Civil Rights Act (1964), Voting Rights Act (1965).

## Core Explanation

Brown v. Board of Education (1954): segregated schools unconstitutional. Rosa Parks (1955): refused to give up bus seat → year-long boycott. Sit-ins: Greensboro (1960), Freedom Rides (1961). Birmingham Campaign (1963): TV images of police brutality shocked the nation. Malcolm X: alternative approach — black nationalism, 'by any means necessary.' MLK assassinated April 4, 1968, Memphis.

## Further Reading

- [Parting the Waters: America in the King Years (Taylor Branch)](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Parting-the-Waters/Taylor-Branch/9780671687427)