Civil Society Protest USA 2025

Civil Rights

The rights that are (or should be) enjoyed by all citizens of a country, revolving around basic freedoms.

Four Freedoms

The basic freedoms that people should have to enjoy their everyday lives without interference: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

Civil Society

A group separate from government and business, including NGOs, voluntary organizations, and movements that protect civil rights.

Civil Society Protest

Actions taken by ordinary people against government policies or circumstances they consider unfair, including protests, marches, and civil disobedience.

Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States.

The 13th Amendment

The amendment to the U.S. Constitution that abolished slavery.

The 14th Amendment

The amendment that granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born in the U.S.

The 15th Amendment

The amendment that prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Martin Luther King Jr.

A key leader in the Civil Rights Movement known for his non-violent protests and eloquent speeches advocating for equality.

Civil Rights Movement (CRM)

A mass campaign for civil rights and against racial segregation and discrimination in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s.

Brown v. Board of Education

The landmark Supreme Court case that ruled segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Rosa Parks

A civil rights activist known for refusing to give up her bus seat, leading to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott

A protest against racial segregation on public buses in Montgomery, Alabama, initiated by Rosa Parks' arrest.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

An organization founded in 1909 to advance civil rights for African Americans through legal means.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

An organization founded by MLK and others to coordinate civil rights activities and promote nonviolent protests.

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

A civil rights organization founded to increase voter registration among African Americans and to support civil rights activism.

Black Power

A movement advocating for self-determination, racial pride, and autonomy for black people, often associated with more militant practices.

Malcolm X

A prominent civil rights leader who advocated for black empowerment and the use of any means necessary to achieve rights.

The Black Panthers

A revolutionary organization founded in 1966 that aimed to fight systemic oppression and promote self-defense among black communities.

Freedom Rides

Protests against segregation on interstate buses, where interracial groups rode buses into the South to challenge the status quo.

Civil Disobedience

The act of refusing to comply with certain laws as a form of peaceful protest.

Women’s Liberation Movement

A movement aimed at achieving equal rights and opportunities for women.

The Feminine Mystique

A book by Betty Friedan that sparked the second wave of feminism by discussing the dissatisfaction of women in traditional roles.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

A proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution aimed at guaranteeing equal rights under the law, regardless of sex.

April 4, 1968

The date Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, marking a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement.

Civil Society Protests (1960-1990)

A wide array of movements and protests advocating for civil rights, women's rights, and against various forms of injustice during this period.