# Civil Rights Movement
Confidence: high
Last verified: 2026-05-22
Generation: ai_assisted


## 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)