Civil Rights Movement

Though the civil rights movement arguably began with the fight to abolish slavery in the 1800s, the historical era named the Civil Rights Movement took place in the 1950s and 1960s. The United States civil rights movement was the struggle for racial equality. Primarily through non-violent protest, those involved in the civil rights movement were able to successfully breakdown (to a large extent) racial discrimination and segregation in the United States and pass a myriad of laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin.

Though slavery was abolished in 1865 (13 th Amendment), former slaves were granted citizenship and equal protection under the law (14 th Amendment), and all males were given the right to vote (15 th Amendment), discrimination was pervasive. In the 1896 landmark case Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court upheld that the “separate but equal” doctrine was constitutional. Separate but equal, however, was anything but equal. People who were not white- mostly African Americans- were restricted to substandard resources simply based on the color of their skin.

The ideological foundation of the civil rights movement is the belief that people should have the same rights, privileges, and access to resources regardless of their race, color, or national origin. Many historians believe that the civil rights movement began with the Supreme Court's decision in the 1954 landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education which declared the “separate but equal” doctrine unconstitutional.

The Civil Rights movement was propelled by many injustices against African Americans. In 1955, a 14-year-old African American boy was kidnapped, beaten, shot, and killed by two adult white males who were acquitted by an all-white jury but later bragged about committing the murder. That same year, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on the bus for a white man. In 1963, fire hoses and police dogs were turned on peaceful black protestors. Civil rights movement workers were detained by the police and handed over to the KluKluxKlan to be killed. Prominent figures of the civil rights movement, including Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, John F. Kennedy, Medgar Evers, and many more were assassinated or killed. Many more people, African American and Caucasian, died in the fight for equality during the civil rights movement.

Despite these numerous horrors, the people fighting for equality during the civil rights movement were largely non-violent, leading sit-ins, rallies, protests, and other methods of peaceful resistance to achieve their vision.

Out of the civil rights movement came many civil rights laws and favorable Supreme Court decisions extending rights and privileges to all United States citizens regardless of color, race, or national origin. In 1957, the Civil Rights Office of the Federal Department of Justice was established to enforce newly created civil rights laws. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination in public schools, places of accommodation, and employment on the basis of color, race, and national origin. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited various methods used to prevent blacks from voting. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 prohibited discrimination in the selling, rental, and financing of homes. The Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988 and the Civil Rights Act of 1991 strengthened civil rights protections and provided damages for those who have been injured by civil rights violations.

Some argue that the civil rights movement, though largely successful, continues even today. Controversy over the role of race in providing rights, privileges, and opportunities still continues today through such issues as hate crimes, affirmative action, and more. The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice continues to be the federal enforcement agency responsible for ensuring that all individuals' civil rights are protected.

This Civil Rights Division prohibits hate crimes, police brutality, church burnings, violence against health care providers, and the transport of people for the purpose of forced labor and enslavement. The Civil Rights Division frequently partners with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US District Attorney, and other government and non-governmental agencies and task forces to ensure that civil rights are protected and violators are prosecuted.

If you or a loved one have suffered a violation of your civil rights or you would like to learn more about civil rights laws, please visit our sister site, Onlinelayersource.com, to contact a qualified civil lawsuit attorney.