Civil Rights Movement Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms and definitions related to the key figures, events, and legislative impacts of the American Civil Rights Movement.

Civil Rights Movement

A movement that significantly impacted America's legislation by establishing a system to combat discrimination based on race, color, religion, and other factors.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

A legislative act that dismantled Jim Crow policies and established rules against discrimination against Black Americans.

Equal Opportunity

The principle that individuals can achieve success through strong beliefs and efforts despite facing heavy challenges and discrimination.

Rosa Parks

The citizen arrested in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, after refusing to give up her seat to a white citizen, sparking a major boycott.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

A 13-month long mass protest among Black Americans led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court declaring bus segregation unconstitutional.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The leader of the 13-month long mass protest known as the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Greensboro Sit-ins

A February 1960 protest where four Black students in North Carolina refused to leave a segregated lunch table to bring attention to racial injustices.

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

An organization founded by the students involved in the Greensboro sit-ins to fight racial oppression and advocate for equal opportunity.

Jim Crow policies

Discriminatory policies dismantled by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.