History The Civil Rights Movement Study Cards

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Civil Rights Movement

A social and political movement in the United States during the mid-20th century that aimed to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans and secure their equal rights under the law.

Brown v. Board of Education

A landmark Supreme Court case in 1954 that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, leading to the desegregation of schools across the country.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

A year-long protest in Montgomery, Alabama, from 1955 to 1956, in which African Americans refused to ride city buses to protest segregated seating, ultimately leading to a Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional.

Martin Luther King Jr.

An influential civil rights leader and activist who advocated for nonviolent resistance and played a key role in organizing and leading various civil rights campaigns, including the March on Washington and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Rosa Parks

An African American woman who became a symbol of the civil rights movement when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery bus, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

March on Washington

A massive civil rights demonstration held in Washington, D.C., in 1963, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech, calling for racial equality and an end to discrimination.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Landmark legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and ended racial segregation in schools, workplaces, and public facilities.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Legislation that aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote, particularly in the South.

Malcolm X

An influential civil rights activist and leader who advocated for black nationalism, self-defense, and self-determination, promoting a more militant approach to achieving racial equality.

Selma to Montgomery March

A series of protest marches in 1965 from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, to demand equal voting rights for African Americans, resulting in the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

Black Panthers

A revolutionary black nationalist and socialist organization founded in 1966, advocating for self-defense against police brutality and the empowerment of African Americans through community programs.

Affirmative Action

Policies and practices aimed at increasing opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups, particularly African Americans, in areas such as employment, education, and government contracts.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The tragic event that occurred on April 4, 1968, when Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee, leading to widespread outrage and further fueling the civil rights movement.

Civil Rights Act of 1968

Also known as the Fair Housing Act, it prohibited discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, or sex.

Black Lives Matter

A movement that emerged in 2013 to address police violence and systemic racism against Black individuals, advocating for justice, equality, and an end to racial profiling.

Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement

The lasting impact of the civil rights movement, including the dismantling of legal segregation, increased political and social rights for African Americans, and the inspiration it provided for future social justice movements.

Sit-ins

Nonviolent protests in which African American activists occupied segregated spaces, such as lunch counters or public transportation, to challenge racial segregation and demand equal treatment.

Freedom Riders

Civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated Southern United States in 1961 to challenge the non-enforcement of Supreme Court rulings that declared segregated public buses unconstitutional.

Little Rock Nine

A group of nine African American students who enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957, facing intense opposition and violence as they became the first Black students to attend the previously all-white school.

Emmett Till

A 14-year-old African American boy who was brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955 for allegedly flirting with a white woman, becoming a catalyst for the civil rights movement.

Freedom Summer

A voter registration drive and education program in Mississippi during the summer of 1964, organized by civil rights activists to increase African American voter turnout and challenge segregation.

Medgar Evers

A prominent civil rights activist and leader in Mississippi who was assassinated in 1963, highlighting the dangers faced by those fighting for racial equality.

Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws that enforced racial segregation and discrimination in the Southern United States, perpetuating racial inequality and denying African Americans their civil rights.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

A civil rights organization founded in 1957 by Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders, advocating for nonviolent protest and civil disobedience to achieve racial equality.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

One of the oldest and most influential civil rights organizations in the United States, founded in 1909 to fight for the rights of African Americans through legal and legislative means.

Black Power Movement

A social and political movement in the 1960s and 1970s that emphasized racial pride, self-determination, and the creation of political and economic power within the Black community.

Segregation

The enforced separation of different racial groups, particularly African Americans, in public facilities, schools, transportation, and other aspects of daily life.

Integration

The process of bringing different racial or ethnic groups together on an equal basis, particularly in schools, workplaces, and public spaces, to promote equality and diversity.

Nonviolent Resistance

A strategy of protest and activism that emphasizes peaceful means, such as sit-ins, boycotts, and marches, to challenge injustice and bring about social change.

Segregationist

A person who supports or advocates for the separation of different racial or ethnic groups, particularly through the enforcement of laws and policies that promote racial discrimination and inequality.

Freedom Summer Murders

The murders of three civil rights activists, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, in Mississippi in 1964, highlighting the dangers faced by those working to register African American voters.

Civil Rights Act of 1957

The first federal civil rights legislation passed since Reconstruction, aimed at protecting the voting rights of African Americans and establishing a federal Civil Rights Commission.

March from Selma to Montgomery

A series of marches in 1965 from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, led by civil rights activists to demand equal voting rights for African Americans, resulting in the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

Birmingham Campaign

A series of nonviolent protests and civil rights demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963, aimed at ending segregation and racial discrimination in one of the most racially divided cities in the United States.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

The first federal law to define citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law, regardless of race or color, laying the foundation for future civil rights legislation.

Emmett Till Trial

The trial of two white men accused of murdering Emmett Till in 1955, which drew national attention to the brutality of racial violence and the unequal treatment of African Americans in the legal system.

Freedom Now

A rallying cry and slogan of the civil rights movement, emphasizing the immediate need for racial equality and an end to segregation and discrimination.

Civil Rights Act of 1875

Legislation that prohibited racial discrimination in public accommodations, such as hotels and theaters, but was later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

March Against Fear

A 1966 march from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi, led by James Meredith to encourage African Americans to register to vote and challenge the culture of fear and intimidation in the South.

De jure segregation

Racial segregation that is enforced by law, such as Jim Crow laws, as opposed to de facto segregation, which occurs due to social and economic factors.

De facto segregation

Racial segregation that occurs as a result of social and economic factors, such as residential patterns and economic disparities, rather than explicit laws or policies.

Southern Manifesto

A document signed by 101 Southern members of Congress in 1956, opposing racial integration and expressing support for the continued segregation of public facilities.

Freedom Schools

Alternative, community-based schools established during the civil rights movement to provide education and empowerment for African American students, focusing on African American history and culture.