Civil Rights Era

The purpose of the civil rights movement was to enforce constitutional and legal rights for all, especially for black people residing in the United States.

Civil rights activists tried to promote equality and social justice through nonviolent protests. In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. Her arrest provoked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which united supporters across the country and led to the desegregation of public buses.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the organizers of the boycott. Promoting equality and human rights through peaceful protests and public speeches, he became one of the most prominent leaders of the civil rights movement.