Explain how and why the African-American Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s transformed America.

The African-American Civil Rights Movement had a big impact on the United States. As a result of this movement, there were many changes made throughout the country, especially in the South. The South had legalized segregation as a result of the Jim Crow Laws. Many public facilities were segregated. This began to change as a result of the Civil Rights Movement.

The Brown v Board of Education case overturned the “separate but equal” concept that was ruled legal with the Plessy v Ferguson case of 1896. In 1955, the Montgomery Bus Boycott began to protest the segregation on city buses in Montgomery. This boycott lasted 381 days until segregation on buses was declared illegal. More schools were placed under desegregation orders. This often led to confrontations, such as the confrontation at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

More actions occurred in the 1960s. The Freedom Riders went to the South to highlight the segregation that existed in the South. They were often attacked as they rode through the South. Sit-ins became a common form of protest to highlight the lack of opportunities African-Americans had. This form of protest was used in many restaurants that refused to serve African-Americans. The Selma March was met by violent resistance by the police. This was captured on film and showed to the nation. A few weeks later, another march was held. People marched from Selma to Montgomery to protest the lack of African-Americans who were registered to vote in Selma. This led to the Voting Rights Act that made it illegal to use literacy tests and poll taxes to prevent African-Americans from voting. It also allowed federal workers to register voters.

Many of the changes that occurred in the South in the 1950s and in the 1960s spread to the North in the 1970s. For example, many school systems in the North were placed under desegregation orders. These changes were often met with anger and with resistance.

As a result of the efforts of the people in the Civil Rights Movement changes occurred across the country giving African-Americans equal access to public places and more opportunities in general.