American civil rights movement

African-American Civil Rights Movement
The March on Washington participants and leaders marching from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial
Date	1954–1968 (15 years)
Location	United States, especially the Southern region
Result	Rulings by federal judiciary: "Separate but equal" doctrine overturned by Brown v. Education (1954) Interracial marriages legalized by Loving v. Virginia (1967) Ratification of federal constitutional amendments: 23rd Amendment (1961) 24th Amendment (1964) Passage of federal laws: Civil Rights Act of 1957 Civil Rights Act of 1960 Civil Rights Act of 1964 Voting Rights Act of 1965 Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act) Formation of federal agencies: Civil Rights Division within US Department of Justice (1957) US Commission on Civil Rights (1957) Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (1965) Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity within US Department of Housing and Urban Development (1968)

The Civil Rights Movement or 1960s Civil Rights Movement (also referred to as the African-American Civil Rights Movement although the term "African American" was not widely used in the 1950s and 1960s) encompasses social movements in the United States whose goals were to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans and to secure legal recognition and federal protection of the citizenship rights enumerated in the Constitution and federal law. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1954 and 1968, particularly in the South.

The movement was characterized by major campaigns of civil resistance. Between 1955 and 1968, acts of nonviolent protest and civil disobedience produced crisis situations and productive dialogues between activists and government authorities. Federal, state, and local governments, businesses, and communities often had to respond immediately to these situations, which highlighted the inequities faced by African Americans. Forms of protest and/or civil disobedience included boycotts such as the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–56) in Alabama; "sit-ins" such as the influential Greensboro sit-ins (1960) in North Carolina; marches, such as the Selma to Montgomery marches (1965) in Alabama; and a wide range of other nonviolent activities.

This phase of the Civil Rights Movement witnessed the passage of several primary pieces of federal legislation. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, expressly banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in employment practices and ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, at the workplace, and by public accommodations. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 restored and protected voting rights for minorities. The Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965 removed racial and national barriers and opened the way for non-white immigrants. The Fair Housing Act of 1968 banned discrimination in the sale or rental of housing. African Americans re-entered politics in the South, and across the country young people were inspired to take action.