Civil Rights Movement Overview

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the Civil Rights Movement.

Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States from the late 19th century until the 1960s.

Separate but Equal Doctrine

Legal principle established by the Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), stating that racial segregation was permissible if equal facilities were provided.

Systemic Discrimination

Severe restrictions faced by African Americans affecting education, housing, employment, public facilities, and voting.

Voting Rights Denial

Practices such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation aimed at preventing African Americans from voting, especially in the South.

NAACP

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, founded in 1909, which fought for equal rights and legal challenges to segregation.

Harlem Renaissance

Cultural and intellectual movement in the 1920s that celebrated Black art and literature and laid the groundwork for future civil rights activism.

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 landmark Supreme Court decision that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

A protest that lasted over a year, initiated by Rosa Parks' arrest in 1955, leading to the Supreme Court ruling bus segregation unconstitutional.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

An organization founded by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1957 that focused on nonviolent resistance to segregation.

Little Rock Nine

Group of nine African American students who integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957 with federal protection.

Freedom Rides

Interracial bus trips organized by CORE in 1961 to challenge segregation in interstate travel, resulting in violent opposition.

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

A massive rally in 1963 where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic 'I Have a Dream' speech, advocating for economic justice and racial equality.

Birmingham Campaign

A 1963 effort led by King and the SCLC to desegregate Birmingham public facilities, which faced brutal police violence.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Landmark legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin and ensured equal access to public accommodations.

Freedom Summer

A 1964 campaign to register black voters in Mississippi, which faced violent opposition and garnered national attention.

Selma to Montgomery March

Series of marches in 1965 led by King to protest voting rights suppression, resulting in the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Critical legislation that banned discriminatory voting practices and provided federal oversight to ensure voting rights for black Americans.

Black Power

A movement emphasizing racial pride and self-reliance that arose in the 1960s, associated with leaders like Stokely Carmichael and Malcolm X.

Black Panther Party

A political organization founded in 1966 advocating for armed self-defense and community programs in poor African American neighborhoods.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Civil rights leader advocating nonviolent protest and civil disobedience, famous for the 'I Have a Dream' speech.

Rosa Parks

Civil rights activist whose refusal to give up her seat led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Malcolm X

Civil rights leader who promoted black self-determination and nationalism, advocating for self-defense.

Thurgood Marshall

NAACP lawyer who argued in Brown v. Board of Education and later became the first African American Supreme Court justice.

Medgar Evers

NAACP field secretary in Mississippi whose assassination in 1963 galvanized support for the civil rights movement.