Civil Rights Movement

The civil rights movement was a struggle for equality and social justice, led primarily by African Americans, and carried out by a growing number of advocates especially through the 1950s and 1960s. Integration, voting rights, and equal opportunities were the primary focuses of the struggle. The movement was primarily rooted in peaceful and nonviolent protests, spanning two decades, during which institutional discrimination against African Americans was gradually reduced.

Three important amendments were added to the U.S. Constitution after the U.S. Civil War: the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery; the 14th Amendment, which granted equal protection under the law, and the 15th Amendment, which gave Black men the right to vote.

However, despite these new laws, discrimination and prejudice against Black...