Key Concepts of the Civil Rights Movement

Civil Rights Movement

American movement fighting against racial injustice and supporting civil rights.

Segregation

Separation of races in public facilities, schools, and transportation.

Integration

MLK approach to civil rights seeking political rights + equal treatment under the law.

Jim Crow Laws

Legal framework enforcing racial segregation across the south after reconstruction.

Nonviolent Protest

Strategic resistance without using violence, inspired by Gandhi's philosophy.

Civil Disobedience

Deliberately breaking unjust laws to highlight their immorality.

Sit-in

Occupying segregated spaces to force confrontation with injustice.

Boycott

Economic pressure through refusing to patronize segregated businesses.

Freedom Riders

Integrated groups that challenged segregation on interstate buses. They faced brutal violence and imprisonment.

March on Washington (1963)

Largest peaceful protest in US history, with 250,000 people and the famous 'I Have a Dream Speech.'

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or natural origin. It ended segregation in public places.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Prohibited racial discrimination in voting. Fannie Lou Hamer's testimony about voting barriers helped secure passages.

Black Power

Approach to freedom created by Malcolm X which emphasized self-defense, economic independence, and cultural pride (Opposite of MLK approach).

Affirmative Action

Modern movement marked by policies addressing historical discrimination (after CRM).

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Civil rights activist and martyr known for his speeches and peaceful integration policy.

Rosa Parks

Activist whose act of civil disobedience (the bus) sparked a 381 day boycott.

Thurgood Marshall

Lawyer who argued against the court in Brown v. BoE and succeeded in declaring segregated schools unconstitutional.

Malcolm X

Activist and martyr who pioneered the black power approach to integration.

Little Rock Nine

The name for 9 black students who integrated Central High School.

James Meredith

The first AA to enroll at the University of Mississippi.

Medgar Evers

CR activist, WWII veteran, and martyr who served as NAACP's first secretary.

Fannie Lou Hamer

Testified at the National Convention about voting barriers and influenced the passing of the Voting Rights Act.

Daisy Bates

Became president of NAACP and helped the Little Rock 9 become the first to attend an all-white school.

Martyr

Someone who sacrifices their life for something noble (like Civil Rights).

Activism

Strategy to spark a change in social and political life through campaigns.

Demonstration

The posters, campaigns, and slogans used by activists.

Discrimination

Unfair treatment in voting, housing, employment, and education.

Desegregation

The act of assimilating AAs in US society (schools, businesses, transportation).

Oppression

Systematic denial of rights through violence, economic control, and intimidation.

Empowerment

The idea of building power in marginalized communities (legacy of CRM).

Grassroots

Community-based organizing for change (Legacy of CRM).

Social Justice

Describes the ongoing pursuit of equality for all people.