Civil Rights Movements of the 1950's and 1960's

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On December 1st, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in the front of a bus to a white man. It was this simple act of defiance that, arguably, began the Civil Rights movement which lasted from 1955 through the 1960’s and altered the face of our nation forever. Following the arrest of Rosa Parks for her simple denial, African Americans in Montgomery began boycotting the bus system, one of the first major stands against racism in the 1950’s. On the heels of the Brown v. Board of Education segregation trial which had ruled in favor of school integration, this boycott, which proved successful after the seat separation was removed, effectively began the civil rights movement with which we are now so familiar with. The civil rights movement in America aimed to gain civil liberties and rights which were guaranteed by law but withheld from them in society. While the movement lasted from about 1954 to 1968, it was not until the 1960’s that other minorities such as American Indians and women began to join the fight. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s was possibly the most important domestic social movement of the twentieth century. At the very least, it was the most important social confrontation to grip America since the Civil War.

At the end of World War II, African American soldiers returned home from war and found themselves disappointed with how they were being treated in their own country. When in Europe they had come face to face with how Blacks were treated outside the United States and found that they enjoyed greater equality overseas than in their home country. Realizing that other countries were so farther advanced in their civil rights movements gave these African America...

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... the law, and discrimination based on race was deemed unconstitutional.

Works Cited

"Civil Rights Movement - Ohio History Central - A product of the Ohio Historical Society." Ohio History Central - An Online Encyclopedia of Ohio History - Ohio Historical Society. Ohio History Central. 11 Mar. 2009 .

"The Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s - FamilyEducation.com." School Resources & Educational Help By Grade & Subject For Parents - FamilyEducation.com. Family Education.Com. 12 Mar. 2009 .

"Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement -- Timeline." Civil Rights Movement Veterans - CORE, NAACP, SCLC, SNCC. Veterans of the Southern Freedom Movement. 11 Mar. 2009 .

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