Civil rights movements

What was the U.S. Civil Rights Movement?

A movement during the 1950s–60s aimed at ending racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans and securing legal equality.

What landmark case ended segregation in U.S. public schools?

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

What were Jim Crow laws?

State and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern U.S. from the late 1800s to the 1960s.

Who was Martin Luther King Jr.?

A key leader of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement who promoted nonviolent resistance; famous for the "I Have a Dream" speech.

What was the Montgomery Bus Boycott?

A 1955–56 protest sparked by Rosa Parks' arrest, where African Americans boycotted buses to oppose segregation.

What was the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

A U.S. law that outlawed segregation and employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

What was the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

A U.S. law that banned discriminatory voting practices like literacy tests and poll taxes.

What was the Black Power movement?

A movement advocating for Black pride, self-sufficiency, and sometimes more radical approaches to achieving civil rights.

Who were the Black Panthers?

A revolutionary Black nationalist group founded in 1966 advocating for self-defense and social justice.

What civil rights issue did Cesar Chavez fight for?

Rights for farm workers, especially migrant laborers, through the United Farm Workers union and nonviolent protest.

What movement fought for Indigenous rights in the U.S.?

The American Indian Movement (AIM), active from the 1960s, sought sovereignty, treaty enforcement, and civil rights.

What was the global significance of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement?

It inspired other movements worldwide, especially anti-apartheid, Indigenous, feminist, and anti-colonial movements.

What was the Anti-Apartheid Movement?

A global campaign to end the system of racial segregation in South Africa, culminating in the release of Nelson Mandela and free elections in 1994.

What was the significance of Nelson Mandela?

He was a leader of the African National Congress, imprisoned for 27 years, and became South Africa’s first Black president after apartheid.

What was the 1967 Referendum in Australia?

A vote to include Aboriginal Australians in the census and allow the federal government to make laws for them—seen as a civil rights victory.

What civil rights movement emerged in Northern Ireland in the 1960s?

The Northern Ireland civil rights movement, which protested discrimination against Catholics in housing, voting, and employment.

What role did women’s rights movements play in civil rights history?

They fought for gender equality in voting, education, the workplace, and reproductive rights—especially during second-wave feminism in the 1960s–80s.

What was the Stonewall Riots (1969)?

A key turning point for LGBTQ+ rights in the U.S., sparking the modern gay rights movement.

What was the Disability Rights Movement?

A movement in the U.S. (especially in the 1970s–90s) that fought for accessibility and equality, leading to the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.