Civil Rights Movement – Timeline, Causes and Consequences

The Civil Rights Movement in America was a nonviolent movement that took place in the 1950s and 1960s. Black Americans in the United States fought for social justice and equal legal rights during the Civil Rights Movement. Although the Civil War’s official abolition of slavery, black people faced discrimination and its devastating aftereffects, particularly in the South. In the mid-nineteenth century, a considerable number of Americans, especially Black Americans, gathered together to undertake a historic two-decade campaign for equality.

When did the Civil Rights Movement in America Start?

The American Civil Rights Movement began in the mid-1950s. Rosa Parks, an activist initiated the civil rights movement in December 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man. The Montgomery bus boycott was a social and political protest movement against the practice of racial segregation in Montgomery, Alabama’s public transportation system. That was an important turning point in the American civil rights movement.

Background of the Civil Rights Movement in America

“Jim Crow laws” were those that maintained racial segregation in the American South from the end of Reconstruction in 1877 until the civil rights movement began in the 1950s. Before the bus boycott, Jim Crow laws forced the Montgomery Bus Line to separate passengers based on race. Black passengers made up 75% of the system’s riders, but because of this segregation, African Americans were forced to ride at the back of the bus, were regularly asked to give up their seats to white passengers, and were not hired as drivers. Many bus drivers mistreated African Americans in ways that went beyond the law after they paid their fees; they were assaulted, deceived, and abandoned.

The year before the bus boycott, the Supreme Court declared in Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional in a majority decision. Whites in the Deep South replied in a “noisy and stubborn” way. White southerners who felt offended by the decision joined the White Citizens’ Council. Though it is sometimes described as the start of the civil rights movement, the boycott occurred after the struggles of many black communities in the South to protect black women, like Recy Taylor, from racist violence.

Some Eminent Personalities of the Civil Rights Movement in America

The civil rights movement was greatly led by Martin Luther King, Jr. Another significant person was Rosa Parks, who resisted giving up her seat on a public bus to a white passenger. The March on Washington was organized with assistance from politician and civil rights activist John Lewis.

Civil Rights Movement Timeline

Below table lists the complete timeline of the Civil Rights Movement in America. This will help in easy understanding of the events that took place in the Civil Right Movements in America:

Year	Events
1954	Brown v. Board of Education
1955	Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
1957	The Little Rock Nine and the Little Rock Central High School Integration
1960	The Greensboro Four and the Sit-In Movement
1960	Ruby Bridges and the New Orleans School Integration
1961	Freedom Rides
1963	Birmingham Demonstrations
1963	March on Washington
1964	Civil Rights Act
1965	Assassination of Malcolm X
1965	Selma March
1965	Watts Riots
1966	Black Panther Party founded
1967	Loving v. Virginia
1967	Detroit Riot
1968	Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Major Events of the American Civil Rights Movement

The American civil rights movement gained widespread recognition in the middle of the 1950s and carried on its fight against racial discrimination and segregation throughout the 1960s. Many organizations, including the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), led by Martin Luther King Jr., organized nonviolent protests to draw attention to particular injustices faced by Black people. Individuals also independently challenged unjust laws.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

In the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the U.S. Supreme Court declared on May 17, 1954, that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. The case essentially overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) decision, which had permitted Jim Crow laws—which required segregated public spaces for White and Black Americans—to remain in place throughout the South in the early 1900s. Although the Brown decision mainly dealt with schools, it suggested that segregation in other public spaces was also illegal.

Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955)

Rosa Parks, an African American civil rights activist, refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a public bus on December 1, 1955. In Montgomery, Alabama, an extended bus boycott was started by her subsequent arrest. Lead by Martin Luther King Jr., a young preacher from the area, the protest started on December 5 and was so effective that it was prolonged indefinitely. Protesters experienced threats, arrests, and job termination in the months that followed. However, the boycott persisted for over a year. After all, on December 20, 1956, the federal government decided that segregated sitting was unlawful, upholding a lower court’s decision.

The Little Rock Nine and the Little Rock Central High School Integration (1957)

Nine African American students entered Little Rock Central High School on their first day of classes in September 1957; all other students had been white up until that moment. The school’s entry was blocked by a large white mob and Arkansas National Guard soldiers, who became known as the “Little Rock Nine.” President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Governor Faubus, and Mayor Woodrow Mann of Little Rock conferred on the matter for the next eighteen days. On September 23, the Little Rock Nine made their return, but they encountered violence. Under the protection of American forces, the students were sent home and returned on September 25. International attention was drawn to the entire dispute, which highlighted the conflict between federal and state power.

The Greensboro Four and the Sit-In Movement (1960)

Four African American students from the historically Black Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina started a sit-in action in downtown Greensboro on February 1, 1960. They sat at the “Whites only” lunch bar of the F.W. Woolworth department store after completing purchases. They were eventually asked to leave after being refused service. But the so-called “Greensboro Four” stayed seated until it closed and came back the following day with roughly twenty more Black students. Others would step in to fill the void left by detained activists, keeping the space continuously occupied. Nashville and Atlanta were among the cities where the demonstration extended. Facilities around the nation started to desegregate following months of protests, and the Greensboro Woolworths started to work for African-American patrons.

Ruby Bridges and the New Orleans School Integration (1960)

Four armed federal marshals escorted six-year-old Ruby Bridges to her first day at the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans on November 14, 1960. Angry mobs shouted their disgust at them, and parents marched into the school to take their kids out in protest of desegregation throughout the day. For the rest of that school year, Bridges was taken to class every day, where she endured threats and insults en route. In an otherwise empty classroom, she received her instruction from her young teacher, Barbara Henry. Later, The Problem We All Live With (1964), a painting by Norman Rockwell, was inspired by her bravery.

Civil Rights Act (1964)

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law on July 2, 1964. It was a more robust version of what President John F. Kennedy had suggested the summer before he was killed in November 1963. The legislation gave the federal government the authority to forbid racial discrimination in public accommodations, employment, and voting. The legislation was a success for the civil rights movement even though it was contentious.

Was the Civil Rights Movement Successful?

The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s produced the most significant advancement in equal-rights legislation for African Americans since the Reconstruction era (1865–77) through nonviolent protest, breaking the pattern of public facilities being separated by “race” in the South. In general, the Civil Rights Movement was successful in changing the practice of segregation in many public facilities. The desegregation of interstate transportation and the Montgomery Bus Boycott were two significant factors that contributed to this.

Questions and Answers on Civil Rights Movement in America

1. What was the Movement of Civil Rights in America?

The term “Civil Rights Movement” in the United States (1954–1968) describes a series of actions and legislative initiatives that sought to end legalized racial discrimination against African-Americans. This campaign, which was led by Martin Luther King Jr., used nonviolent civil disobedience tactics to challenge laws and practices that discriminate against people of color.

2. Which has been a major Goal of the US Civil Rights Movement?

The Civil Rights Movement’s main goal was the nationwide desegregation of public schools. Lawyers for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) had been planning to take local lawsuits to court since the 1930s, claiming that all children, race or not, should receive an excellent education and that separate was not equal.

3. What was the most Successful Civil Rights Movement?

The most successful movement was the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The first MIA leader was selected as Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., a young pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Unexpectedly effective, the boycott resulted in a 1956 Supreme Court ruling outlawing segregated buses.

4. Who is the Father of Civil Rights?

The civil rights movement has been credited to Frederick Douglass. He ascended to prominence with tenacity, intellect, and eloquence, helping to mold the American republic. In addition to being an abolitionist, he was a social reformer, publisher, speaker, author, journalist, and advocate for women’s and human rights.

5. What ended the Civil Rights Movement?

While the difficulties facing Black Americans persisted, the death of Martin Luther King Jr. specifically contributed to the disintegration of the civil rights movement.