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Civil Rights Movement

By: History.com Editors

Updated: May 14, 2024 | Original: October 27, 2009

The civil rights movement was a struggle for social justice that took place mainly during the 1950s and 1960s for Black Americans to gain equal rights under the law in the United States. The Civil War officially abolished slavery , but it didn’t end discrimination against Black people—they continued to endure the devastating effects of racism, especially in the South. By the mid-20th century, Black Americans, along with many other Americans, mobilized and began an unprecedented fight for equality that spanned two decades.

Jim Crow Laws

During Reconstruction , Black people took on leadership roles like never before. They held public office and sought legislative changes for equality and the right to vote.

In 1868, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution gave Black people equal protection under the law. In 1870, the 15th Amendment granted Black American men the right to vote. Still, many white Americans, especially those in the South, were unhappy that people they’d once enslaved were now on a more-or-less equal playing field.

To marginalize Black people, keep them separate from white people and erase the progress they’d made during Reconstruction, “ Jim Crow ” laws were established in the South beginning in the late 19th century. Black people couldn’t use the same public facilities as white people, live in many of the same towns or go to the same schools. Interracial marriage was illegal, and most Black people couldn’t vote because they were unable to pass voter literacy tests.

Jim Crow laws weren’t adopted in northern states; however, Black people still experienced discrimination at their jobs or when they tried to buy a house or get an education. To make matters worse, laws were passed in some states to limit voting rights for Black Americans.

Moreover, southern segregation gained ground in 1896 when the U.S. Supreme Court declared in Plessy v. Ferguson that facilities for Black and white people could be “separate but equal."

World War II and Civil Rights

Prior to World War II , most Black people worked as low-wage farmers, factory workers, domestics or servants. By the early 1940s, war-related work was booming, but most Black Americans weren’t given better-paying jobs. They were also discouraged from joining the military.

After thousands of Black people threatened to march on Washington to demand equal employment rights, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802 on June 25, 1941. It opened national defense jobs and other government jobs to all Americans regardless of race, creed, color or national origin.

Black men and women served heroically in World War II, despite suffering segregation and discrimination during their deployment. The Tuskegee Airmen broke the racial barrier to become the first Black military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps and earned more than 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses. Yet many Black veterans were met with prejudice and scorn upon returning home. This was a stark contrast to why America had entered the war to begin with—to defend freedom and democracy in the world.

As the Cold War began, President Harry Truman initiated a civil rights agenda, and in 1948 issued Executive Order 9981 to end discrimination in the military. These events helped set the stage for grass-roots initiatives to enact racial equality legislation and incite the civil rights movement.

On December 1, 1955, a 42-year-old woman named Rosa Parks found a seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus after work. Segregation laws at the time stated Black passengers must sit in designated seats at the back of the bus, and Parks complied.

When a white man got on the bus and couldn’t find a seat in the white section at the front of the bus, the bus driver instructed Parks and three other Black passengers to give up their seats. Parks refused and was arrested.

As word of her arrest ignited outrage and support, Parks unwittingly became the “mother of the modern-day civil rights movement.” Black community leaders formed the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) led by Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr ., a role which would place him front and center in the fight for civil rights.

Parks’ courage incited the MIA to stage a boycott of the Montgomery bus system . The Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted 381 days. On November 14, 1956, the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating was unconstitutional. 

Little Rock Nine

In 1954, the civil rights movement gained momentum when the United States Supreme Court made segregation illegal in public schools in the case of Brown v. Board of Education . In 1957, Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas asked for volunteers from all-Black high schools to attend the formerly segregated school.

On September 4, 1957, nine Black students, known as the Little Rock Nine , arrived at Central High School to begin classes but were instead met by the Arkansas National Guard (on order of Governor Orval Faubus) and a screaming, threatening mob. The Little Rock Nine tried again a couple of weeks later and made it inside, but had to be removed for their safety when violence ensued.

Finally, President Dwight D. Eisenhower intervened and ordered federal troops to escort the Little Rock Nine to and from classes at Central High. Still, the students faced continual harassment and prejudice.

Their efforts, however, brought much-needed attention to the issue of desegregation and fueled protests on both sides of the issue.

Civil Rights Act of 1957

Even though all Americans had gained the right to vote, many southern states made it difficult for Black citizens. They often required prospective voters of color to take literacy tests that were confusing, misleading and nearly impossible to pass.

Wanting to show a commitment to the civil rights movement and minimize racial tensions in the South, the Eisenhower administration pressured Congress to consider new civil rights legislation.

On September 9, 1957, President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 into law, the first major civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. It allowed federal prosecution of anyone who tried to prevent someone from voting. It also created a commission to investigate voter fraud.

Sit-In at Woolworth's Lunch Counter

Despite making some gains, Black Americans still experienced blatant prejudice in their daily lives. On February 1, 1960, four college students took a stand against segregation in Greensboro, North Carolina when they refused to leave a Woolworth’s lunch counter without being served.

Over the next several days, hundreds of people joined their cause in what became known as the Greensboro sit-ins. After some were arrested and charged with trespassing, protesters launched a boycott of all segregated lunch counters until the owners caved and the original four students were finally served at the Woolworth’s lunch counter where they’d first stood their ground.

Their efforts spearheaded peaceful sit-ins and demonstrations in dozens of cities and helped launch the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee to encourage all students to get involved in the civil rights movement. It also caught the eye of young college graduate Stokely Carmichael , who joined the SNCC during the Freedom Summer of 1964 to register Black voters in Mississippi. In 1966, Carmichael became the chair of the SNCC, giving his famous speech in which he originated the phrase "Black power.”

Freedom Riders

On May 4, 1961, 13 “ Freedom Riders ”—seven Black and six white activists–mounted a Greyhound bus in Washington, D.C. , embarking on a bus tour of the American south to protest segregated bus terminals. They were testing the 1960 decision by the Supreme Court in Boynton v. Virginia that declared the segregation of interstate transportation facilities unconstitutional.

Facing violence from both police officers and white protesters, the Freedom Rides drew international attention. On Mother’s Day 1961, the bus reached Anniston, Alabama, where a mob mounted the bus and threw a bomb into it. The Freedom Riders escaped the burning bus but were badly beaten. Photos of the bus engulfed in flames were widely circulated, and the group could not find a bus driver to take them further. U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy (brother to President John F. Kennedy ) negotiated with Alabama Governor John Patterson to find a suitable driver, and the Freedom Riders resumed their journey under police escort on May 20. But the officers left the group once they reached Montgomery, where a white mob brutally attacked the bus. Attorney General Kennedy responded to the riders—and a call from Martin Luther King Jr.—by sending federal marshals to Montgomery.

On May 24, 1961, a group of Freedom Riders reached Jackson, Mississippi. Though met with hundreds of supporters, the group was arrested for trespassing in a “whites-only” facility and sentenced to 30 days in jail. Attorneys for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP ) brought the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court, which reversed the convictions. Hundreds of new Freedom Riders were drawn to the cause, and the rides continued.

In the fall of 1961, under pressure from the Kennedy administration, the Interstate Commerce Commission issued regulations prohibiting segregation in interstate transit terminals

March on Washington

Arguably one of the most famous events of the civil rights movement took place on August 28, 1963: the March on Washington . It was organized and attended by civil rights leaders such as A. Philip Randolph , Bayard Rustin and Martin Luther King Jr.

More than 200,000 people of all races congregated in Washington, D. C. for the peaceful march with the main purpose of forcing civil rights legislation and establishing job equality for everyone. The highlight of the march was King’s speech in which he continually stated, “I have a dream…”

King’s “ I Have a Dream” speech galvanized the national civil rights movement and became a slogan for equality and freedom.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 —legislation initiated by President John F. Kennedy before his assassination —into law on July 2 of that year.

King and other civil rights activists witnessed the signing. The law guaranteed equal employment for all, limited the use of voter literacy tests and allowed federal authorities to ensure public facilities were integrated.

Bloody Sunday

On March 7, 1965, the civil rights movement in Alabama took an especially violent turn as 600 peaceful demonstrators participated in the Selma to Montgomery march to protest the killing of Black civil rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson by a white police officer and to encourage legislation to enforce the 15th amendment.

As the protesters neared the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were blocked by Alabama state and local police sent by Alabama Governor George C. Wallace, a vocal opponent of desegregation. Refusing to stand down, protesters moved forward and were viciously beaten and teargassed by police and dozens of protesters were hospitalized.

The entire incident was televised and became known as “ Bloody Sunday .” Some activists wanted to retaliate with violence, but King pushed for nonviolent protests and eventually gained federal protection for another march.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

When President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law on August 6, 1965, he took the Civil Rights Act of 1964 several steps further. The new law banned all voter literacy tests and provided federal examiners in certain voting jurisdictions. 

It also allowed the attorney general to contest state and local poll taxes. As a result, poll taxes were later declared unconstitutional in Harper v. Virginia State Board of Elections in 1966.

Part of the Act was walked back decades later, in 2013, when a Supreme Court decision ruled that Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional, holding that the constraints placed on certain states and federal review of states' voting procedures were outdated.

Civil Rights Leaders Assassinated

The civil rights movement had tragic consequences for two of its leaders in the late 1960s. On February 21, 1965, former Nation of Islam leader and Organization of Afro-American Unity founder Malcolm X was assassinated at a rally.

On April 4, 1968, civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on his hotel room's balcony. Emotionally-charged looting and riots followed, putting even more pressure on the Johnson administration to push through additional civil rights laws.

Fair Housing Act of 1968

The Fair Housing Act became law on April 11, 1968, just days after King’s assassination. It prevented housing discrimination based on race, sex, national origin and religion. It was also the last legislation enacted during the civil rights era.

The civil rights movement was an empowering yet precarious time for Black Americans. The efforts of civil rights activists and countless protesters of all races brought about legislation to end segregation, Black voter suppression and discriminatory employment and housing practices.

A Brief History of Jim Crow. Constitutional Rights Foundation. Civil Rights Act of 1957. Civil Rights Digital Library. Document for June 25th: Executive Order 8802: Prohibition of Discrimination in the Defense Industry. National Archives. Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-In. African American Odyssey. Little Rock School Desegregation (1957).  The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute Stanford . Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Global Freedom Struggle. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute Stanford . Rosa Marie Parks Biography. Rosa and Raymond Parks. Selma, Alabama, (Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965). BlackPast.org. The Civil Rights Movement (1919-1960s). National Humanities Center. The Little Rock Nine. National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior: Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. Turning Point: World War II. Virginia Historical Society.

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Introductory Essay: Continuing the Heroic Struggle for Equality: The Civil Rights Movement

To what extent did Founding principles of liberty, equality, and justice become a reality for African Americans during the civil rights movement?

• I can explain the importance of local and federal actions in the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s.
• I can compare the goals and methods of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLS), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Malcolm X and Black Nationalism, and Black Power.
• I can explain challenges African Americans continued to face despite victories for equality and justice during the civil rights movement.

Essential Vocabulary

Continuing the heroic struggle for equality: the civil rights movement.

The struggle to make the promises of the Declaration of Independence a reality for Black Americans reached a climax after World War II. The activists of the civil rights movement directly confronted segregation and demanded equal civil rights at the local level with physical and moral courage and perseverance. They simultaneously pursued a national strategy of systematically filing lawsuits in federal courts, lobbying Congress, and pressuring presidents to change the laws. The civil rights movement encountered significant resistance, however, and suffered violence in the quest for equality.

During the middle of the twentieth century, several Black writers grappled with the central contradictions between the nation’s ideals and its realities, and the place of Black Americans in their country. Richard Wright explored a raw confrontation with racism in Native Son (1940), while Ralph Ellison led readers through a search for identity beyond a racialized category in his novel Invisible Man (1952), as part of the Black quest for identity. The novel also offered hope in the power of the sacred principles of the Founding documents. Playwright Lorraine Hansberry wrote A Raisin in the Sun , first performed in 1959, about the dreams deferred for Black Americans and questions about assimilation. Novelist and essayist James Baldwin described Blacks’ estrangement from U.S. society and themselves while caught in a racial nightmare of injustice in The Fire Next Time (1963) and other works.

World War II wrought great changes in U.S. society. Black soldiers fought for a “double V for victory,” hoping to triumph over fascism abroad and racism at home. Many received a hostile reception, such as Medgar Evers who was blocked from voting at gunpoint by five armed whites. Blacks continued the Great Migration to southern and northern cities for wartime industrial work. After the war, in 1947, Jackie Robinson endured racial taunts on the field and segregation off it as he broke the color barrier in professional baseball and began a Hall of Fame career. The following year, President Harry Truman issued executive orders desegregating the military and banning discrimination in the civil service. Meanwhile, Thurgood Marshall and his legal team at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) meticulously prepared legal challenges to discrimination, continuing a decades-long effort.

The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund brought lawsuits against segregated schools in different states that were consolidated into Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka , 1954. The Supreme Court unanimously decided that “separate but equal” was “inherently unequal.” Brown II followed a year after, as the court ordered that the integration of schools should be pursued “with all deliberate speed.” Throughout the South, angry whites responded with a campaign of “massive resistance” and refused to comply with the order, while many parents sent their children to all-white private schools. Middle-class whites who opposed integration joined local chapters of citizens’ councils and used propaganda, economic pressure, and even violence to achieve their ends.

A wave of violence and intimidation followed. In 1955, teenager Emmett Till was visiting relatives in Mississippi when he was lynched after being falsely accused of whistling at a white woman. Though an all-white jury quickly acquitted the two men accused of killing him, Till’s murder was reported nationally and raised awareness of the injustices taking place in Mississippi.

In Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks (who was a secretary of the Montgomery NAACP) was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus. Her willingness to confront segregation led to a direct-action movement for equality. The local Women’s Political Council organized the city’s Black residents into a boycott of the bus system, which was then led by the Montgomery Improvement Association. Black churches and ministers, including Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rev. Ralph Abernathy, provided a source of strength. Despite arrests, armed mobs, and church bombings, the boycott lasted until a federal court desegregated the city buses. In the wake of the boycott, the leading ministers formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) , which became a key civil rights organization.

Rosa Parks is shown here in 1955 with Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the background. The Montgomery bus boycott was an important victory in the civil rights movement.

In 1957, nine Black families decided to send their children to Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Governor Orval Faubus used the National Guard to prevent their entry, and one student, Elizabeth Eckford, faced an angry crowd of whites alone and barely escaped. President Eisenhower was compelled to respond and sent in 1,200 paratroops from the 101st Airborne to protect the Black students. They continued to be harassed, but most finished the school year and integrated the school.

That year, Congress passed a Civil Rights Act that created a civil rights division in the Justice Department and provided minimal protections for the right to vote. The bill had been watered down because of an expected filibuster by southern senators, who had recently signed the Southern Manifesto, a document pledging their resistance to Supreme Court decisions such as Brown .

In 1960, four Black college students were refused lunch service at a local Woolworth’s in Greensboro, North Carolina, and they spontaneously staged a “sit-in” the following day. Their resistance to the indignities of segregation was copied by thousands of others of young Blacks across the South, launching another wave of direct, nonviolent confrontation with segregation. Ella Baker invited several participants to a Raleigh conference where they formed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and issued a Statement of Purpose. The group represented a more youthful and daring effort that later broke with King and his strategy of nonviolence.

In contrast, Malcolm X became a leading spokesperson for the Nation of Islam (NOI) who represented Black separatism as an alternative to integration, which he deemed an unworthy goal. He advocated revolutionary violence as a means of Black self-defense and rejected nonviolence. He later changed his views, breaking with the NOI and embracing a Black nationalism that had more common ground with King’s nonviolent views. Malcolm X had reached out to establish ties with other Black activists before being gunned down by assassins who were members of the NOI later in 1965.

In 1961, members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) rode segregated buses in order to integrate interstate travel. These Black and white Freedom Riders traveled into the Deep South, where mobs beat them with bats and pipes in bus stations and firebombed their buses. A cautious Kennedy administration reluctantly intervened to protect the Freedom Riders with federal marshals, who were also victimized by violent white mobs.

Malcolm X was a charismatic speaker and gifted organizer. He argued that Black pride, identity, and independence were more important than integration with whites.

King was moved to act. He confronted segregation with the hope of exposing injustice and brutality against nonviolent protestors and arousing the conscience of the nation to achieve a just rule of law. The first planned civil rights campaign was initiated by SNCC and taken over mid-campaign by King and SCLC. It failed because Albany, Georgia’s Police Chief Laurie Pritchett studied King’s tactics and responded to the demonstrations with restraint. In 1963, King shifted the movement to Birmingham, Alabama, where Public Safety Commissioner Bull Connor unleashed his officers to attack civil rights protestors with fire hoses and police dogs. Authorities arrested thousands, including many young people who joined the marches. King wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail” after his own arrest and provided the moral justification for the movement to break unjust laws. National and international audiences were shocked by the violent images shown in newspapers and on the television news. President Kennedy addressed the nation and asked, “whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities . . . [If a Black person]cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his place?” The president then submitted a civil rights bill to Congress.

In late August 1963, more than 250,000 people joined the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in solidarity for equal rights. From the Lincoln Memorial steps, King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. He stated, “I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”

After Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, President Lyndon Johnson pushed his agenda through Congress. In the early summer of 1964, a 3-month filibuster by southern senators was finally defeated, and both houses passed the historical civil rights bill. President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, banning segregation in public accommodations.

Activists in the civil rights movement then focused on campaigns for the right to vote. During the summer of 1964, several civil rights organizations combined their efforts during the “ Freedom Summer ” to register Blacks to vote with the help of young white college students. They endured terror and intimidation as dozens of churches and homes were burned and workers were killed, including an incident in which Black advocate James Chaney and two white students, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, were murdered in Mississippi.

In August 1963, peaceful protesters gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial to draw attention to the inequalities and indignities African Americans suffered 100 years after emancipation. Leaders of the march are shown in the image on the bottom, with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the center.

That summer, Fannie Lou Hamer helped organize the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) as civil rights delegates to replace the rival white delegation opposed to civil rights at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City. Hamer was a veteran of attempts to register other Blacks to vote and endured severe beatings for her efforts. A proposed compromise of giving two seats to the MFDP satisfied neither those delegates nor the white delegation, which walked out. Cracks were opening up in the Democratic electoral coalition over civil rights, especially in the South.

Fannie Lou Hamer testified about the violence she and others endured when trying to register to vote at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. Her televised testimony exposed the realities of continued violence against Blacks trying to exercise their constitutional rights.

In early 1965, the SCLC and SNCC joined forces to register voters in Selma and draw attention to the fight for Black suffrage. On March 7, marchers planned to walk peacefully from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery. However, mounted state troopers and police blocked the Edmund Pettus Bridge and then rampaged through the marchers, indiscriminately beating them. SNCC leader John Lewis suffered a fractured skull, and 5 women were clubbed unconscious. Seventy people were hospitalized for injuries during “Bloody Sunday.” The scenes again shocked television viewers and newspaper readers.

The images of state troopers, local police, and local people brutally attacking peaceful protestors on “Bloody Sunday” shocked people across the country and world. Two weeks later, protestors of all ages and races continued the protest. By the time they reached the state capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, their ranks had swelled to about 25,000 people.

Two days later, King led a symbolic march to the bridge but then turned around. Many younger and more militant activists were alienated and felt that King had sold out to white authorities. The tension revealed the widening division between older civil rights advocates and those younger, more radical supporters who were frustrated at the slow pace of change and the routine violence inflicted upon peaceful protesters. Nevertheless, starting on March 21, with the help of a federal judge who refused Governor George Wallace’s request to ban the march, Blacks triumphantly walked to Montgomery. On August 6, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act protecting the rights to register and vote after a Senate filibuster ended and the bill passed Congress.

The Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act did not alter the fact that most Black Americans still suffered racism, were denied equal economic opportunities, and lived in segregated neighborhoods. While King and other leaders did seek to raise their issues among northerners, frustrations often boiled over into urban riots during the mid-1960s. Police brutality and other racial incidents often triggered days of violence in which hundreds were injured or killed. There were mass arrests and widespread property damage from arson and looting in Los Angeles, Detroit, Newark, Cleveland, Chicago, and dozens of other cities. A presidential National Advisory Commission of Civil Disorders issued the Kerner Report, which analyzed the causes of urban unrest, noting the impact of racism on the inequalities and injustices suffered by Black Americans.

Frustration among young Black Americans led to the rise of a more militant strain of advocacy. In 1966, activist James Meredith was on a solo march in Mississippi to raise awareness about Black voter registration when he was shot and wounded. Though Meredith recovered, this event typified the violence that led some young Black Americans to espouse a more military strain of advocacy. On June 16, SNCC leader Stokely Carmichael and members of the Black Panther Party continued Meredith’s march while he recovered from his wounds, chanting, “We want Black Power .” Black Power leaders and members of the Black Panther Party offered a different vision for equality and justice. They advocated self-reliance and self-empowerment, a celebration of Black culture, and armed self-defense. They used aggressive rhetoric to project a more radical strategy for racial progress, including sympathy for revolutionary socialism and rejection of capitalism. While its legacy is debated, the Black Power movement raised many important questions about the place of Black Americans in the United States, beyond the civil rights movement.

After World War II, Black Americans confronted the iniquities and indignities of segregation to end almost a century of Jim Crow. Undeterred, they turned the public’s eyes to the injustice they faced and called on the country to live up to the promises of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and to continue the fight against inequality and discrimination.

Reading Comprehension Questions

• What factors helped to create the modern civil rights movement?
• How was the quest for civil rights a combination of federal and local actions?
• What were the goals and methods of different activists and groups of the civil rights movement? Complete the table below to reference throughout your analysis of the primary source documents.

The Civil Rights Movement in the United States Essay

The “I Have a Dream” speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a powerful message that remains relevant to both the United States and the world even today. The speech is full of outrage, contains allusions to the Bible and the US Declaration of Independence. It is considered one of the best in the history of mankind. The main theses of King’s political speeches were not only the equalization of the rights of Whites and Blacks, but also a more global idea – world peace for the sake of the prosperity of humanity. According to Corbett et al. (2017), King’s speech became the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, legitimizing its goals.

The March was organized by Philip Randolph and Bayard Ruston to advocate for the civil and economic rights of the blacks in the United States. In the United States, the 1960s was characterized by the rise of Civil Rights Movements, the aim of which was to suppress and end discrimination and racial segregation against African Americans.

It was during the 1960s that the African Americans began realizing accomplishments in their struggle for civil rights, and using them as a base for fighting further. Galvin (2020) states that “the basic narrative of justice is of a brutally oppressed people who took the initiative, defined their own needs, and demanded freedom” (p. 1). The most used strategies by the Civil Rights Movement included freedom rides, boycotts, voter registration drives, marches, and sit-ins. This article seeks to discuss the impact of the 1960s Civil Rights Movements on the nation and minority groups and whether the ideas of the 1960s still have relevance today.

The Civil Rights Movements of the 1960s did not effectively change the nation. Some might argue that African Americans did not benefit that much from the new regulations brought by the movement. According to Bloom and Hatcher (2019), “the Civil Rights Movement confronted the denial of political rights to Blacks, forced segregation, and the degradation of Blacks to second-grade class citizenship” (p. 5). However, the White people were still significantly more privileged than the Black Americans, remaining on top of society. The biggest failure of the Civil Rights Movement was in relation to poverty and economic discrimination.

There was still a high prevalence of discrimination in employment and housing despite the laws being passed. Further, the business owned by minority groups were still denied equality in regards to access to financing, markets, and capital. As a result, many African Americans and other minority groups remained poor and further frustrated by never-ending police harassment, discrimination, and low standards of living. From these, many boycott groups arose, such as, for example, Black Panthers.

The Civil Rights Act had a large impact on the minority groups across the continent. The action initiated a greater federal role in protecting the rights of the minorities by increasing the protection of their voting rights. The Jim Crow laws ended with the establishment of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Moreover, federal penalties for those who violated the civil rights of people, especially working class, were established by the Civil Rights Act of 1968. It further outlawed discrimination of minorities in the sale and rental of about eighty percent of housing in the United States.

The tactics and strategies that were used in the 1960s by civil rights activists would not apply to today’s racial and ethnic conflicts. As stated earlier, some of the popular strategies adopted by the Civil Rights Movement in their fight against racial and ethnic conflicts were based on the notion of non-violent civil disobedience. Pineda (2021) claims that “the Civil Rights Movement is not only a powerful example of civil disobedience, but also a horizon of judgement of all civil disobedience” (p. 1). These methods of protests included freedom rides, boycotts, sit-ins, voter registration drives, and marches. As we are aware by now, these strategies by Civil Rights Movements were not effective in regards to implementation. Therefore, since it was not successfully implemented in the 1960s, then there are higher chances that it may not be effective in solving the racial and ethnic conflicts of today.

It is worth mentioning that racial and ethnic conflicts are on the rise today in the United States and other parts of the world. In order to effectively reduce the racial and ethnic prejudice experienced today, the strategies to be applied needs to address both institutional and individual sources of prejudice. Further, the strategies should receive the support and active participation of those with authority and power in any given setting. In addition, these strategies need to examine similarities and differences across and within racial and ethnic groups. This includes differences related to gender, social class, and language.

The ideas of the 1960s still have relevance in the current era despite the tremendous progress witnessed in the United States since then. For example, African-American students still experience racial discrimination in the field of education even today. According to the U.S Department of Education’s Civil Rights office, there is still opportunity gaps existing in public schools across the United States. In addition, there are some discriminatory policies and practices that still exist in schools that prevent students of color from accessing quality education. In addition, racial inequality and poverty among African Americans are still prevalent.

One relevant example is that Hurricane Katrina mainly affected the African Americans who were concentrated in poor neighborhoods, as was still the case in the 1960s. There have been activities in the current era which have been inspired by the Civil Rights Movements, including the immigrant rights demonstrations and the formation of various Latino civil rights and women’s rights movements.

Although this historical event happened a long time ago, the general idea of the Civil Rights Movement is modern and relevant to this day. As stated by Martin Luther King, it is impossible to win by responding with violence to violence. Martin Luther King’s insistent calls for unity and nonviolent action in response to oppression and brutality are worthy of deep respect and long memory. His speeches have become key moments in American history in the struggle for racial justice. The Civil Rights Movement can also have a major impact on diversity in America today. Civil rights vary greatly over time, culture, and form of government.

Therefore, they tend to follow societal trends that condemn particular types of discrimination. For example, the LGBTQ+ community, which has been actively advocating for the rights of all queer people for the last fifty years. Aside from fighting against discrimination in the LGBTQ society, the Civil Rights Movement can help fight the discrimination against Arab Americans, which rose after the terror attacks of the 11th of September, 2001, otherwise known as 9/11.

Bloom, J. M., & Hatcher, R. G. (2019). Class, race, and the Civil Rights Movement . Indiana University Press.

Corbett, P. S., Janssen, V., Lund, J. M., Pfannestiel, T. J., & Vickery, P. S. (2017). U.S. history. OpenStax, Rice University.

Galvin, R. (2020). “ Let justice roll down like waters”: Reconnecting Energy Justice to its roots in the Civil Rights Movement . Energy Research & Social Science , 62 , 101385. Web.

Pineda, E. R. (2021). Seeing like an activist: Civil disobedience and the Civil Rights Movement . Oxford University Press.

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• Consumer Boycotts' Impact on Brands
• Cleveland Sellers on Nonviolent Civil Rights Activities
• Rosa Parks and Act of Civil Rights Defiance
• The Fighter for Equality: Nelson Mandela
• Louis Armstrong as Civil Right Activist
• “The Souls of Black Folk” and the Civil Rights Movement
• The Souls of Black Folk: Problems and Solutions
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2022, December 8). The Civil Rights Movement in the United States. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-civil-rights-movement-in-the-united-states/

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IvyPanda . (2022) 'The Civil Rights Movement in the United States'. 8 December.

IvyPanda . 2022. "The Civil Rights Movement in the United States." December 8, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-civil-rights-movement-in-the-united-states/.

1. IvyPanda . "The Civil Rights Movement in the United States." December 8, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-civil-rights-movement-in-the-united-states/.

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IvyPanda . "The Civil Rights Movement in the United States." December 8, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-civil-rights-movement-in-the-united-states/.

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In many respects, the civil rights movement was a great success. Successive, targeted campaigns of non-violent direct action chipped away at the racist power structures that proliferated across the southern United States. Newsworthy protests captured media attention and elicited sympathy across the nation. Though Martin Luther King Jr.’s charismatic leadership was important, we should not forget that the civil rights cause depended on a mass movement. As the former SNCC member Diane Nash recalled, it was a ‘people’s movement’, fuelled by grass-roots activism (Nash, 1985). Recognising a change in the public mood, Lyndon Johnson swiftly addressed many of the racial inequalities highlighted by the civil rights movement. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 led to meaningful change in the lives of many Black Americans, dismantling systems of segregation and black disenfranchisement.

In other respects, the civil rights movement was less revolutionary. It did not fundamentally restructure American society, nor did it end racial discrimination. In the economic sphere, in particular, there was still much work to be done. Across the nation, and especially in northern cities, stark racial inequalities were commonplace, especially in terms of access to jobs and housing. As civil rights activists became frustrated by their lack of progress in these areas, the movement began to splinter towards the end of the 1960s, with many Black activists embracing violent methods. Over the subsequent decades, racial inequalities have persisted, and in recent years police brutality against Black Americans, in particular, has become an urgent issue. As the protests triggered by the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 have demonstrated, many of the battles of the 1960s are still being fought.

Though King and other members of the civil rights movement failed to achieve their broader goals, there can be no doubting their radical ambitions. As Wornie Reed, who worked on the Poor People’s Campaign, explains in this interview, King was undoubtedly a ‘radical’ activist, even if the civil rights movement itself never resulted in a far-reaching social revolution.

Transcript: Video 4: Wornie Reed

This free course is an adapted extract from the Open University course A113 Revolutions [ Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. ( Hide tip ) ] . It is one of four OpenLearn courses exploring the notion of the Sixties as a ‘revolutionary’ period. Learn more about these OpenLearn courses here .

1001 Writing Prompts About Civil Rights

March 10, 2021

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Ever since Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to move the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955 sparked the modern civil rights movement in America, people have been created stories about institutionalized racial discrimination, disenfranchisement, and racial segregation. This includes The Help by Kathryn Stockett—a historical fiction novel that tells the story of African Americans working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s—and Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson—a children’s picture book set during the Birmingham Children’s Crusade in 1963.

Even though it is already the 21st century, there is still a need for racial equality in the country today, so stories about civil rights are still needed. If you are interested in writing some, here are some writing prompts that could hopefully inspire you: 

• Write from the point of view of an African American during the Civil Rights Movement.
• Write a story about the first black American in Air Force One.
• How does the Civil Rights Movement compare to the Gay Rights Movement? Write an essay comparing both movements.
• Write about two people from two different circumstances defining the  word “peace.”
• Write about how to define people based on their membership to an ethnic group.
• Write about the destruction of Jim Crow laws.
• Write a letter that your family sent to the civil rights movement.
• Write about a time when the local government intervened and made a change in your community.
• Write a poem about what you have learned and what you still need to know.
• Write about freedom of speech. Write a story about the founding fathers and what they fought for.
• Write a fictional story about being in the Civil Rights Movement or undertaking a civil rights action of your own.
• Write about your experience participating in a Civil Rights protest.
• What do you think of Emmett Till? Make a story about his life.
• Write a toast/speech about your commitment to social justice.
• What is personal integrity? What is your experience with the concept?
• Have you ever taken a stand for something you believed in, even if you were alone?
• What is the importance of knowing who you are?  Write about heritage.
• Write about someone who made a difference.
• Write about the struggle for equal justice.
• How can the civil rights act change the future?
• How does war affect killing racism?
• Do you believe affirmative action is fair? Why or why not?
• Write about Rosa Parks.
• What are your child’s civil rights?
• Write a story about a Civil Rights violation not mentioned in this list.
• Write about why civil rights is important.
• Write a story about Rosa Parks.
• Write about Rosa Parks
• Write about a hero in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a poem about a civil rights event.
• Write a story about the Freedom Riders.
• Write about the segregation of students.
• Write about the Civil Rights movement.
• Describe a situation of injustice that has happened to a friend or family member.
• Write about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s nonviolence.
• Day of Empathy
• Write about the first time you were discriminated against.
• Write about the divide in opinion between those of faith and those of the military.
• Write a letter to your future grandchildren about the progress of the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about different ways certain minorities are treated. How do they cope with it?
• Write about what race means to you.
• Write about a Civil Rights Leader you admire or love.
• Write about your experiences.
• Write a story about a childhood experience.
• Write about Rosa Parks refusing to go to the back of the bus.
• Write about sitting down lunch counters as a form of nonviolent protest.
• Write a text message conversation in which you discuss a situation of racism with a friend. Your friend secretly has a grudge against you and the dialogue between you two escalates into a heated debate. The police get called by an unknown stranger.
• Write about any of the songs from the Civil Rights Movement.
• Write about what your community can do to diminish racism and prejudice.
• Write about unfair laws and how they affect the main character.
• Write about a blind activist / a self-taught educator.
• Change your setting and write a story about what might have happened if a Civil Rights leader never impacted his or her community? Will anything ever happen if these leaders never existed?
• Write about a contemporary or historic injustice in America.
• Create a dialogue between two people who disagree about the outcomes of the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about a time where you tried to stand up for something you believe in.
• Write a story about Rosa Parks
• Write about marches taking place during the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about a current protest in the world today.
• Write about Rosa Parks or a civil rights activist.
• Write about being a part of the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a story of the Civil Rights movement that takes place in your town.
• Write about your personal connection to history, or being inspired by having a connection to history.
• Write about a part of history that brought people . Write a poem.
• Write a story about how someone in your family inspires you to have civil rights.
• Explain how the work of African Americans and other people of color affected or influenced the progress of civil rights.
• What civil liberties does your country guarantee?
• Write a story where everyone is given equal rights.
• Write about one of many important leaders.
• Write a narrative based on an African American in your family.
• Write a story about Gandhi’s non-violent movement
• Write about a moment when you saw systemic discrimination.
• What is an activist? What is someone’s definition of activism?
• Write an alternate ending to the Civil Rights Movement.
• Write about an act of community service.
• How does prejudice affect other people besides the person being discriminated against?
• How prominent was the civil rights problem at the time of your creation?
• Yolanda White’s students at Ivy Elementary School in Memphis, Tennessee are excited to learn about Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Write your favorite scene from Alice Walker’s novel “The Color Purple”.
• Write about getting your rights back… sometimes to get them back, you need to take them back.
• Tell a story about your favorite civil rights leader.
• Write about segregation.
• Write about the memories of a family member such as oral history.
• Write a short story in which anachronistic languages are used.
• How did the women in SNCC change national opinion? How did they change their own lives?
• Describe an event that happened to you or a friend in which someone expressed true tolerance.
• Write about a Mother who is taking her family across the country on the underground railroad.
• Write your own version of a well-known civil right’s song.
• Write about an important part in history that changed with a decision like Brown v. Board of Education.
• Write a story about Emmett Till’s murder.
• Write a poem about being in a civil rights movement.
• Write about a Civil Rights leader you admire.
• Talk about a current social issue and how that reflects personal freedoms.
• Write about the Civil Rights Movement in your community or state.
• Write about the story of Rosa Parks
• Write a story about a specific civil rights battle.
• Write about what you are personally doing to prevent racism in your life.
• Write about how your school handles racial segregation.
• Write about where you fit in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about someone who stood up for their rights.
• Write about a Civil Rights leader that does not receive as much attention as historical figures like
• Write a story about forgiveness.
• Write a story about an African-American’s involvement in a humanitarian cause or historical event.
• Your community seems to have gotten very upset.  The sight of a police car infuriates some people, others have been spreading rumors about what community members did at the meeting last night. You have to choose-write for the people who are angry or write for the people who have been hurt by the rumors.
• What is racism?
• What is the problem in Salem, and how do the characters fix the problem?
• Write about a historic event in the struggle for women’s rights.
• Write a true story about another civil rights activist.
• Autobiography – Why are you an activist?
• Write about Black Lives Matter.
• Write about a time in your life when you experienced racism.
• What is freedom and how does it affect different people?
• Write about a person against discrimination.
• Write about a historic site in civil rights history.
• Write a story about a historic civil rights leader.
• Write about a person who inspires you to fight for civil rights.
• Write a list poem involving the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a list of Bad things Americans did to Japanese Americans during World War II.
• Write about “standing up for what you believe”, including in confronting and standing up to racism
• Write about a historic event in the Civil Rights movement like the march on Washington or desegregation.
• Write about the importance of freedom and equality.
• Write about racism, segregation and discrimination.
• Write about the freedom of speech.
• When trouble strikes, who helps you?
• How do you make your contribution to peace?
• Write a story about Malcolm X.
• What does reverse racism look like?
• Write about Rosa Parks’ legacy
• How important is legislation in improving peoples’ lives?
• Write a piece about the University of Alabama integration protests.
• Write a post/short story relating to a lesson you have learned through racism.
• Write about the racial makeup of your neighborhood.
• Write a story incorporating the word freedom.
• Write a story about your own courageous act to help someone.
• Do you recognize what is segregation and what is inequality?
• Write a scene about Rosa Parks refusal to give her seat on the bus.
• Write about something you wish you could change.
• Write a story about Martin Luther King Jr. and instances of courage in your life.
• Write about Apartheid during South Africa’s peak years.
• How did Dr. King’s life affect you?
• Write a story about a present day Civil Rights leader.
• Write about people who overcame adversity.
• Discuss Rosa Parks. Describe events surrounding her arrest the events following her arrest.
• Write a story about voting rights.
• Write a poem dedicated to a civil-rights leader.
• Write a story about a person in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about racism, prejudice, or discrimination.
• A Word from Author 2 Author Mentor
• Write about going back in time and working for Dr. King.
• Write about what freedom means to you
• Write about prejudice and discrimination.
• Write a letter to a magazine or newspaper urging others to fight for your rights as an equal citizen.
• Write a story of dedication to a cause
• Who is your most favorite female this year?
• Write a poem about the importance of civil rights.
• Write a poem about the current protest today.
• Write about the Civil Rights movement, particularly the marches, protests and demonstrations.
• Write about one of the rights Americans have, that many people in the world don’t have.
• Write a newspaper article about a historic event in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a story about some of the peaceful protests taken part in during the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about making a difference.
• Write about a civil rights figure.
• What would your life be like if racism was eliminated?
• Write about the African-American civil rights movement.
• Write a song about Rosa Parks.
• Write a poem about feelings, fears, or hopes connected to the Civil Rights Movement.
• Write a letter to someone on the opposing side communicating tolerance and acceptance.
• Write a fictional story about an activist for civil rights.
• Write about the American Justice System.
• Write about courage as demonstrated in the Civil Rights movement, civil rights leaders in your family or neighborhood.
• Write a list of how a series of small events can lead to bigger events.
• Write about equality, justice, and human rights.
• Write about race.
• What do you think slavery would be like today?
• Write about a family member who participated in the movement.
• Write about a symbol of the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about a time you had to choose between what you wanted to do and what you thought was right.
• Write about three events in your life. Tell which one had the most influence on your life and why.
• How can people build bridges to cross racial and cultural gaps?
• Write a story about a civil rights leader.
• What civil rights issue is most pressing in America right now? Why?
• Write about sit-ins.
• Write about a fictional character who set off the Civil Rights Movement.
• Write about what racism means to you.
• Write a letter from a civil rights activist to a modern day news station or newspaper.
• Write a scene in which a man defends his rights.
• Write a story about inequality.
• If you wrote a play about Rosa Parks, what would it be about?
• Write a poem foretelling the future for equal rights, so we won’t have to remember past history.
• Write about individual prejudice.
• Write about a historical civil rights event that was covered up, and write about the damage it caused.
• Write a story about how racism has affected your life.
• Write a story about a dream
• Write about an identifiable event within the civil rights movement with your families involvement in it.
• Write a dialogue about the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about a summer of love getting peace ready.
• Write about a famous civil rights leader in the news.
• Write about the importance of a person’s civil rights.
• Write about what inspired the freedom riders.
• Write your own letter from Birmingham Jail.
• Write about segregation or integration.
• Write a story about another important individual, male or female, who led the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a story about your grandmother or great grandmother and her stories of life during the segregation era
• Write a story
• Write about being on the wrong side of History.
• Write a story about a woman’s rights.
• Write about injustice in history. Is it harder to say something when you see injustice all around you?
• Write a letter to the president about gun control laws.
• Write about the Bill of Rights and how it applies to you.
• Write a haunted house story about Rosa Parks.
• Write about a turning point in the Civil rights movement.
• Write about a historic figure who did not get his or her “due.”
• Write a story similar to “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg.
• Write a story about Malcolm X or Rosa Parks.
• Write about similarities in human nature.
• Write the story of an activist from the Civil Rights Movement
• Write about what Dr. King would want the United States to do now to eradicate racism.
• Write a story about the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about a time you have experienced unjust treatment or discrimination.
• Write about the challenges and advantages facing immigrants.
• Write about a civil rights activist you admire.
• What are your thoughts on people dying for a cause? Why would they do that?
• Using dialogue, write about a personal conflict the main character has with a friend or teacher about a civil rights issue.
• Write about how a Civil Rights Leader has inspired you.
• Write a time travel story going back to the Civil Rights movement.
• What does equality mean to you?
• Write a poem about tolerance.
• Write about Mothers who make a difference.
• Write about civic activism in your community.
• Write about a time you felt out of place.
• Write about a time when you experienced prejudice.
• Write about a civil rights leader.
• Write about a time you or someone you know has been discriminated against.
• Write an African-American child’s point of view that is not necessarily related to civil rights.
• Write about a time when you feared for your life.
• Write a story about someone who inspires you.
• Who is the most important civil rights leader in your life? How did they influence your life?
• Write about strife and prejudice towards somebody who is different.
• Write about a famous protest in the civil rights movement.
• Write a story about a front-line non-violent protester.
• Write a story about a march participant from any state.
• Write about a current event in the news that you think is important.
• Write about someone who has sacrificed for the rights of others.
• Write about Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about a personal fight for civil rights. What did you do? What was done to you?
• Write a dialogue between a person who disagrees with Dr. King and a person who agrees with Dr. King.
• Write about how the Civil Rights Movement began.
• What did Martin Luther King Jr. change?
• How do you feel about what is happening in Ferguson, Missouri?
• Police brutality. Write a scene about the famous beating of Rodney King.
• Write about a civil rights leader in your community. Where do you live? What is his or her legacy?
• Give a first-hand account of a historic event in the Civil Rights movement.
• When someone believes they are perfect How does race help or hinder achieving their “purpose”
• How has the media portrayed the Civil Rights movement?
• Write about a civil rights hero who is not well known.
• Write about a time you changed your opinion based on someone in your life.
• Write about Stonewall.
• Write a mock letter from Jefferson to a slave, or vice versa.
• What is a community? What can a community do?
• Write about an activist you respect.
• How do you challenge a cultural belief?
• Write about freedom of speech.
• Write about a time when you stepped up and helped someone who was being hurt in some way.
• Write about an experience you’ve had in which someone else handed down a prejudicial judgement.
• Write about the times when you felt hurt because of racism.
• Write about human rights in your country or region.
• How do you respond to people’s aversion to migrant workers? How do you cope with the feelings you inspire?
• Write your own non-fiction article/book about the Civil Rights Movement. Use magazine /journalistic writing formats.
• Write about the misconceptions surrounding violent groups. Think of creative solutions for the two groups to meet.
• Writing about literature
• Write about an unforgettable person.
• Write about a family affected by a prison system.
• Describe the causes of the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a story about the freedom riders.
• Write a scene about your best friend.
• Write about a person from another country who has impacted your life.
• Write a poem about being different.
• Write about a time when someone talked back to discrimination.
• Write about a period of segregation.
• Write about someone using their freedom to do something significant or important.
• Write about a time someone gave you a helping hand.
• Write about a historic non-violent protest.
• describe your idea of a dream world and how the people in it might interact with each other. maybe have most of them with disabilities but that have the same rights as everyone else
• Write about the Civil Rights Act.
• Write a narrative or short story from the point-of-view of a Civil Rights activist.
• Write about a conference in Alabama.
• Write about the dream of equal rights.
• What does freedom mean to you?
• Write a short narrative poem describing a story about the Civil Right movement
• Write a story about a child freedom rider? How does segregation affect this child?
• Write about an act of civil disobedience.
• Who in your family influenced you the most? What was their story?
• Write a story about an incident in the Civil Rights movement you were not a part of.
• Write a protest poem.
• Write about a non-violent protest that changed the world.
• How has your family been affected by racial prejudice?
• Write a character with a racial identity crisis.
• Write one of your own ideas.
• What is equal access?
• Write about meeting a real historical figure.
• Write a poem about democracy.
• Write about someone told by their parents to speak up and speak out.
• Write about “Folk Heroes of the Past” in the United States
• Write about things that show your support for freedom and equality
• Write about a fictional character who is a civil rights activist.
• You have a friend who makes racist jokes. What do you do about it?
• Write about a time you showed that you were a civil rights leader.
• What were some of the biggest obstacles in the way of civil rights changes?
• Tell a story in verse.
• Write a song about racism.
• List some rules a government can and cannot make.
• Write about both the triumphant and tragic parts of the Civil Rights movement.
• What does it mean to be free?
• Write a story about how you have participated in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about coming of age during the Civil Rights movement.
• Online Resources
• Writing prompts are a great way to learn and review and help students write better!
• Write about freedom and perseverance.
• Write a story about Andrew Young.
• What is your favourite civil rights leader and why?
• How do you feel that the Civil Rights Movement has influenced the way that America is today?
• Write about a civil rights violation.
• In your opinion, what makes a “civil rights disaster?”
• Write about your favorite movie or book on the civil rights movement.
• Write a scene in which there is a protest.
• Know any nuns because of your upbring?
• Write something based on riots.
• Write about racism toward women.
• Write about Freedom Summer.
• Write about a Civil Rights leader who is important to you.
• Write about yourself or someone close to you becoming a better person.
• How would you react if suddenly you could no longer use the washrooms where you normally use them?
• What is social justice and what does that mean to you?
• Write about a time you stood up for someone or something.
• How do people find the courage to change?
• All who serve are equal – write about those who serve their nation.
• Write a story about a Civil Rights protest you attended or participated in.
• Write about “freedom riders.”
• Make up a fictional account of a historic event in the United States civil rights movement. The author would not exist.
• Write about a time your community came together.
• Who inspired you the most during Civil rights?
• Write in your point of view.
• Write about freedom in America.
• Write about injustice.
• Write a story about the fictional character, Rosa Parks.
• Write story about the last days of Dr. M
• Write a story about an injustice in the United States.
• Write about the struggle of being different.
• Write about journalism and civil rights.
• Who were the leaders in the Civil Rights movement? Write a story about them.
• Write a story about slavery.
• Write a letter to your ethnicity encouraging them to support Civil Rights Movements.
• Write about a current man or woman fighting for Civil Rights.
• Write about a time when you saw true injustice and sat by silently.
• Write about a Rosa Parks moment.
• How can a single person change the world?
• How did you overcome obstacles?
• Write about what Martin Luther King Jr accomplished.
• What are liberties and freedoms? How did the founding fathers address this topic? How do we today address this topic?
• Write about discrimination again immigrants, refugees, ethnic groups, other races, religions, or genders.
• Write a poem to get across a message about non-violent protest.
• Write a poem about growing up and facing the bigots in your town.
• Is your character a racist or someone who works against racism?
• Write about an individual who has strongly influenced you. How have they inspired or changed you?
• Write a story from the perspective of a Black Journalist.
• Write a story about Rosa Parks’ decision.
• Write the line of history that you keep reading in history books, but what happened before and after?
• What is apathy and why is it bad? Give two examples from your own life.
• Write about a current civil rights issue.
• Write about a time when you stood up for racial equality.
• Write a short story about someone you admire.
• Write about where you were on this day and to consider the impact the Civil Rights had upon your life.
• Transcribe an interview with someone who has experienced racism.
• Write about your favorite civil rights activist.
• Write about the evolution of a character’s sense of humanity or ability to love.
• Write about a current political opportunity to pursue true equality for an underrepresented group.
• Write about the recent murder of Emmett Till.
• Writing about civil rights meant something to you.
• Write about the role music has played in the Black Lives Matter Movement.
• Write about Rosa Parks and her actions that she took in history.
• Write a story about a young person at the time of the Civil Rights Movement.
• Write about someone you know who showed courage.
• Tell about a time you stood up for what you believed in.
• Write a diary entry from a character’s time in the Civil Rights movement.
• List everyday conflicts you hear between people from different backgrounds.
• Write about someone you admire who was involved in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about Rosa parks’ stand.
• A poet writes about political issues.
• Describe non-violent protest and write about a person who was committed to non-violence.
• Write about the fourteenth amendment to the Constitution.
• Write about someone who chose not to make a difference in the Civil Rights movement
• Write an autobiography about a civil rights activist.
• Write your own story about something relevant to the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about a time where you or someone you know was treated differently because of ethnicity.
• Write about Rosa Parks resistance.
• Write about the black-power movement or the student movement.
• Write about today’s civil rights movement.
• Write another story about the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about people fighting for freedom in your home country or in the country you grew up in.
• Write about how the Civil Rights movement affected the future when you were born.
• Write a story about a modern hero who opposes segregation, such as Rosa parks or Mahatma Gandhi.
• Write about civil rights for a specific group of people.
• Write a nonfiction paper about the Civil Rights movement
• Write a creative story about a famous Civil Rights activist.
• Write about a fault in the American justice system.
• Write about non-violent ways to deal with anger.
• Write a list of the most significant events in a country regarding the Civil Rights movement in that country, and then write a story that involves that list of events.
• Write about disadvantages to being an African-American.
• Write about one injustice in women’s rights.
• Write a story about some kids struggling for a civil rights issue.
• Write about an injustice
• How can people make a difference?
• Write a letter to someone who took part in some event in the Civil Rights movement.
• What is freedom?
• Write in the voice of someone who, like you, grew up in a racist community.
• Write about a foreigner’s reaction to what is being said about America.
• Write a speech.
• Who was the Rosa Parks of your family? Describe a time they used non-violence.
• Discuss the Civil Rights Act in terms of your life. Describe how it has impacted you.
• Write about how nonviolent protests affect people.
• Write a letter about a Constitutional right. What rights do you value?
• Write a story about a private act of racism.
• Write a short story about a girl’s efforts to become an editor, but runs into racism. End with her finding the right editor.
• Write about a letter from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• Write about a time you’ve/someone’s faced discrimination.
• Invent a character who transitioned from one race to another and has to deal with the day-to-day.
• Write about a time when you experienced racism.
• Write about a time that you believed in what you were doing and were on the right side.
• Write a character sketch of an African-American woman or man who has struggled to win his or their rights.
• Write about the Klu Klux Klan.
• Think about a fortuitous twist of fate in the Civil Rights Movement.
• Write about someone who burned books to control their population.
• Write a story about Nelson Mandela.
• Write about a group or a person who influenced the Civil Rights Movement.
• Write about a group of people who are discriminated against in your community. How would they like to be treated?
• Write another story about Selma.
• Share a fictional story of a character or family or friend who experienced the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about a violation of your civil rights.
• Write about a Civil Rights Movement event in your home region.
• Write a story in verse about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• Who are your heroes in the struggle for civil rights? How have they helped inspire you?
• What should we do to stop racism?
• Write about a time when you fought for your rights.
• Write about a current event in the issue of same-sex marriage.
• Is equality possible?
• Write about a civil rights era activist or leader, and how s/he inspired others.
• Write about racism today.
• Write about what you would teach your kids about equality.
• Write about a stereotype you’ve seen in the media.
• Write about a moment when you choose courage over fear.
• Write about people you admire in the Civil Rights movement. How did they show courage? What gave them the courage? Did they have role models?
• Is there political violence now over civil rights issues?
• What do you think? How could you tackle these matters in your young adult novel?
• Write about a Civil Rights Activist in the 1960s.
• What does freedom really mean? How is America expressing these ideals? Write about a historic event in America’s fight for freedom.
• Write a biographical story of Nat Turner, the leader of the violent slave revolt.
• Write a poem or an essay using a dream as its topic and inspiration.
• Write about a problematic time in the past.
• Write a story about an African-American attempting to register to vote.
• Write about tensions between the North and the South after the Civil War.
• Write about a moment when you experienced discrimination.
• Write a story about the Civil Rights Movement.
• Brilliant ideas about Real Civil Rights Issues.
• Write a story that was created by an anti-civil rights activist.
• Write about Emmett Till and his killer.
• Write about how rights are supposed to be protected.
• Write about a time that you or someone you know acted out of love or came close to it.
• What does John F. Kennedy’s call for civil rights mean to you?
• Write about the role the Freedom Movement played in the history of a human rights movement in another culture.
• Write a story from the perspective of someone who didn’t stand up for his rights.
• Write a story about a police brutality case.
• Write about patriotism.
• Write a memoir in which you discuss race relations.
• As a playwright, write a script about the current issues facing people of color, past present and future.
• Write about segregated areas in the time of Martin Luther King Jr.
• Write about a fictional meeting between Martin Luther King and Malcolm X
• Write about the Act of Congress which prohibited racial discrimination in the sale or rental of housing
• Inclusionary practices, Schools desegregation, busing and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 all had an effect on society.
• Write about somebody being beaten and see what the person communicating his opinion a few days or weeks after the attack.
• Writing about Communities of Color
• Write a story about a protester at Woodstock.
• Write about a family member or friend who has recently discovered they are gay.
• Write about something that you must confront.
• Write about a pledge that you would make for the future of civil rights.
• Do you think protesting is a good way to make a cause heard?
• Write a comparison and contrast essay about Dr. Martin Luther King and Malala Yousafzai.
• Write about an oppression endured by a person or a group.
• Write about segregation, racism, prejudice, and ignorance.
• Write about an ongoing situation in the present day on race or equality.
• Write a letter from a southern mayor explaining to the governor why it is necessary to have desegregation and how to accomplish this.
• Describe an important, local historical-cultural site.
• Write about how the Civil Rights movement has changed the United States.
• Write a poem about a historic event in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a letter to an incarcerated person.
• Write about a personal struggle for Civil Rights.
• Where is the line between civil rights and freedom of speech?
• Write a character who supports LGBTQ rights.
• Write about a time when you questioned your faith because of what was happening around you.
• Write about any work of art that portrays the Civil Rights Movement.
• Write about the bravery of Civil Rights activists.
• Write a story about the people who lived in the south during the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a story about someone famous who helped the black civil rights movement.
• Write about efforts to improve race relations.
• Write about the Civil Rights movement in a parallel universe.
• Write about the Voting Rights Act.
• Write about a road trip anyone took to participate in this significant movement.
• Write about discrimination in your school, workplace, community.
• Write in the perspective of a person during a dehumanizing moment.
• Write a story featuring an African American woman writer. Write a story about President Obama.
• What does it mean to tell the truth? Write an “Ode to a Black Man”
• Write describing a time when you were impacted by a violation of human rights.
• Write about Rosa Parks’s defiance.
• Write a fantasy story that deals with racial issues.
• Write about a Martin Luther King Jr. speech you remember.
• Write a story about a historic Black man or woman.
• Write about creating change. How did you do this?
• Write about the roles of men and women in this cause.
• Write a story about what could happen if racism came back into society.
• Write about Rosa Parks and how she changed things.
• Write an essay about a civil rights figure.
• Write about Rosa Parks, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and Montgomery Bus Boycott.
• Write about a civil rights rally.
• Create a persuasive speech to convince people they should work for civil rights.
• Write about a time when you felt like the enemy.
• Write a letter to your ancestors discussing their daily lives. Have them share what life was like before and after the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a letter as though to a friend who is against Civil Rights.
• What are you doing every day to fight back?
• Write a story about the youngest person who took part in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a poem in support of civil rights.
• Write a story about someone who changed the world.
• Write a story about two opposing points of view and how they affect people.
• Write a story about your personal experience with civil rights.
• What if you had created an event that changed history?
• Write about your pride in your ethnic identity.
• Start a story about segregation and end with integration.
• Rise up and declare your freedom
• Write about a time when an injustice occurred based on race or gender.
• Write about the principles of non-discrimination and the War on Terror.
• Justify a non-violent response when confronted with police violence.
• Compare the Civil Rights movement to today.
• Write about a “Freedom Ride” or a similar civil rights action.
• Write a story that touches on the history of the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about a significant moment in U.S. history which occurred during your birth year.
• Write about a time when you wanted to stand up for a cause but did not.
• Write a story from the perspective of a Civil Rights leader like Martin Luther King.
• Write about racial profiling. Name three or four examples. Who is affected by racial profiling? How do you feel about racial profiling?
• Write a story about a woman in the Civil Rights movement, such as Diane Nash, Ruby Bridges, or Rosa Parks.
• Inspired by Malcolm X’s thoughts, tell a story about a person dedicated to justice and self-aware of the difficulty in pursuing it.
• How do you define liberty and equality? What is treating all citizens fairly?
• Write about the goals of the Civil Rights Movement.
• Write about a historic event that happened at a protest.
• Why did we need a Civil Rights movement? Who were the leaders?
• Explain difficult situations.
• Write a scene from a Civil War battlefield.
• What can you do to help others out?
• What was your reaction when you heard about the Martin Luther King Day Bill becoming law?
• Write about Rosa Parks’s famous moment. or African Americans today.
• Write about an important leader of the Civil Rights movement, for example, Rosa Parks.
• Remember all sides. Everyone has to give up something for others to pursue their dream. No event is a completely negative or positive outcome.
• Write about a time you questioned authority or showed disrespect to an adult.
• Write about the prejudice you face today.
• Write about a famous civil rights leader.
• Write a story about the Freedom Riders and other activists.
• Why do people fear the unknown?
• Write about William C. Gannett
• Write about going to school alone and seeing all the stares you received because of who you were.
• Write about violence and injustice.
• Write a story about Rosa Parks or the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
• What are modern day civil rights issues?
• Write about segregation, and schools and buses
• Write about a 19th century protest.
• Write a love story about a black couple in the Civil Rights Movement.
• Write a story about Rosa parks.
• Write about the Civil Rights Movement.
• Write about the Black Power movement.
• Write about voting rights.
• Write about the history of school segregation.
• How important were television, news media and social media in shaping the Civil Rights Movement?
• Write about the Civil Rights movement in your area.
• Talk about a time when people across a particular group were divided.
• Write about overcoming a major obstacle or hardship.
• Do we need a Civil Rights Movement today? Why or why not?
• Write about a problem people face today. How this problem affects people. How people are standing up for a solution.
• Write about someone famous in the Civil Rights movement.
• When you think of an African American elderly couple, what comes to mind?
• Write a story about the railroad industry, an industry that even in the early 1960s was the nation’s largest employer.
• Write about one of your heroes of the Civil Rights movement. Who were they? What did they do? How did they influence you?
• Write a poem about Rosa Parks.
• Write about an example of Civil Rights abuse.
• Write about an event in the History of the Civil Rights movements that changed your life.
• Write about justice and human rights.
• Write about any aspect of the Black Panther movement.
• Write about how war and attempted genocide has affected your people in the past.
• What are your opinions on civil rights today?
• Write a story about an activist from your hometown.
• Write about a person who has demonstrated civil rights, non-violence, or peace.
• Write a story about non-violence.
• Write about the first time you recalled hearing about the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a story about the relationship between a civil rights leader and their cause
• Write about a white person’s encounter with a Civil Rights movement protester. What does this encounter mean for the white person? What does this mean for the Civil Rights protesters as a whole?
• Write a story about a community organizer and how they organized.
• Write about a moment in a historic event.
• Write about one of the many different civil rights movements.
• Write about Rosa Parks, Mahatma Gandhi, or Chief Tecumseh.
• Write a letter to your red-headed great-grandmother 10 generations back about why you support civil rights.
• Did women have a role in the Civil Rights movement? Did they take part in sit-in demonstrations and voter registration drives?
• Write about a family that is of mixed race.
• Write a story about yourself at one of the crossroads of the Civil Rights Movement.
• What is a personal experience that you’ve had while struggling for your rights?
• Write a piece about the women in the Civil Rights movement
• Write about a teacher who taught you something special.
• Write a letter to your local or federal legislators about any debate you feel strongly about.
• Write about America today. What are the differences from the time of the Civil Rights movement?
• Write a poem inspired by the Civil Rights Movement.
• How does religion play into social justice?
• Write about a time you observed racism.
• What do you know about the Civil Rights movement?
• Write about a historic or famous person that supported the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a story about a random person or famous person who inspires you. Perhaps that person is very courageous, or a doer of good deeds or a leader.
• Write a letter of one of the women’s leaders.
• What do you think of today’s fight for civil rights?
• False, negative beliefs about minority groups.
• Write a poem about different kinds of bravery.
• Write about someone who’s had an experience similar to Rosa Parks or the Greensboro Four.
• Write about symbols in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a story about Rosa Parks going to jail and inspiring others to fight for civil rights.
• Write an essay about a mayor or police chief and their dedication to a city or town.
• Multicultural literature that includes Civil Rights.
• Write about racism in a contemporary setting.
• Write a story about a more recent leader in the moment – someone who fought for civil rights within the last 100 years.
• Write about a member of the civil rights movement. Who are they? How did they contribute to the movement?
• Write about being different.
• Write about a kid your own age doing good.
• Write about how Dr. King taught civil rights as a non-violent protest.
• What does it look like to pay it forward?
• Write a poem about an important figure in the civil rights movement.
• Write about an early civil rights leader such as Harriet Tubman
• Write about the Golden Rule.
• How have things changed? How have they stayed the same?
• What do you do to stand up for your rights?
• Write about an African American family member.
• Write about a civil rights organization that is working today
• Write about a modern-day struggle for civil rights.
• Write about a social melting pot or cultural melting pot.
• Write about someone who is intolerant of a certain group of people.
• Write a piece that shows how a modern teenager might handle the Civil Rights Movement given past history.
• Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam was a segregate civil rights movement. It differed from the mainstream Civil Rights Movement because of its separatist views. How was it different? What lessons did the Civil Rights movement learn from Nation of Islam for future events? Was it a mistake to not accept them?
• Write about Rosa Parks refusing to move from her seat on the bus.
• Write about a leader or an organization active during the Civil Rights Movement.
• Write about an act of treason.
• Write about President Lyndon B. Johnson and the Civil Rights Act.
• Write a story about an oppressed race.
• Write an alternate history story where the Civil War was never ended.
• Write about the symbols of the Civil Rights Movement.
• Who inspired your feelings about civil rights?
• Write about someone who fought to enforce civil rights for all.
• Write about someone in your family who emigrated from another country. What motivated them to leave?
• Write a story about Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus.
• Write about a time when you stood up for someone else
• Write about an event in history that changed your worldview.
• Write a poem about what it means to be a soldier.
• Write about voting rights in your neighborhood.
• Write a paragraph about the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
• Write a dialogue between a white person and a black person about civil rights.
• Write an essay analyzing “Letter from Birmingham jail.”
• Write about a prayer.
• Write about an attribute of Rosa Parks.
• Write a speech for an advocate of racial change.
• Write about two “privileged” groups vying for rights.
• Describe how hard it is to live with a loved one that drinks
• Invent characters who attend a peaceful sit-in at their local Woolworth cafeteria.
• Write about the Women’s Right movement.
• Write about Rosa Parks, who changed the course of history with her courageous walk to freedom.
• Write a story about an event at Selma or Montgomery.
• Write about the legacy of Rosa Parks
• Write about a form of racism that something caused.
• Write about a time when you felt powerless
• Write about a modern-day activist.
• Write about your culture.
• Shall not be infringed…Shall not be infringed… Shall not be infringed. -From the Pledge of Allegiance-
• Write about “invisible” people and experiences that restore humanity
• Write about a civil rights character. Feel free to write a sequel or a prequel to a story
• Write about someone your parents felt required courage.
• Write about racial integration on a college campus.
• How can people help fight against human rights abuses?
• What is your opinion about the war in Iraq?
• Write a story from the point of view of a kid during Civil Rights.
• Write about something in the past that is still true today.
• Compare and contrast the Civil Rights Movement of today with the Civil Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s.
• Write about how you would inspire fear in discrimination.
• Write a story about Rosa Parks, a well-known historical figure in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about a historic event in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a conversation between a white and black person.
• Write about being empowered to make social change.
• How did Malcolm X affect the black movement? Write a story about him.
• Write a story about brutality.
• Write about an everyday act of heroism you witnessed.
• About How to Be a Writer
• Write about a fictional family that is faced with segregation when they move to a new town.
• Write a story about someone integrating schools.
• Write a story about a topic you know a lot about. For example, you majored in business.
• Write about a time period in your life where you identified as a minority.
• Write a story about someone using moments and actions in life to protest or plead for civil rights.
• How do you educate others about the Civil Rights movement?
• How did the Civil Rights movement impact your life?
• Write about an issue related to civil rights, such as a current campaign, or a current issue such as global warming or healthcare reform.
• Write an essay about a time in history where you saw a great injustice like racism.
• Write a short story, poem, letter, or opinion piece supporting or arguing against affirmative action.
• Write about a time when you were a victim of discrimination.
• Write about a time when you were persuaded by someone to have a different opinion.
• Write about human rights. In what ways are human beings all equal?
• Write a scene between a teacher and student about civil rights.
• Write about a civil rights protest or demonstration from your community or hometown.
• Write about a current issue involving Civil Rights.
• Write a story about discrimination.
• Write about immigration issues.
• How has your school been affected by desegregation?
• Write a story of a family’s experience in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a haiku about your hero.
• Write about a fictional character who is part of the Civil Rights Movement.
• Write about social equality.
• Write about one of the methods used to protest by members of the Civil Rights Movement.
• Write about a civil rights leader you admire.
• Write about an event during the civil rights movement that you find hum
• Write about a time you were mistreated because of the way you were perceived to be different.
• Write about a famous activist in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a poem about inspiration you can find from the Civil Rights movement.
• A group of armed police officers entered Ben’s home late one night. The officers said that they were searching for illegal drugs, but after they left Ben realized that the officers had searched for any objects related to civil rights. How did the officers conduct their search?
• Write about how racism affects you or someone you know.
• Write an alternate history Civil Rights story.
• Write a fictional story about an event in the life of a modern civil rights activist.
• How can one person make a difference?
• Write about how a civil movement has impacted your life.
• What’s the difference between walking softly and walking humbly?
• Write a letter from an elderly, veteran freedom rider to a younger person.
• Write about a place in history that was a key battleground in the Civil Rights Bill. Write about a piece of legislation that helped the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a speech conveying the importance of equal educational opportunities and treatment for public school students.
• How do we show we are equal?
• Write about a modern leader, role model, or hero that inspires you.
• Write about freedom.
• Write about acts of discrimination you have witnessed.
• What would you have done at the bus station on that fateful day in Alabama?
• Write a story about a freedom rider. Write the story from their point of view.
• Write about segregation/integration.
• Write a story about segregation in the South.
• Write a narrative story about your time when Mary Cunningham, a civil rights listener from Silver Spring, Maryland, listened to the words of Martin Luther King Jr. over the radio.
• Write about a mentor.
• Write a story about a historic person that worked for civil rights.
• What motivates people to participate in protests or rallies or any kind of movement for change?
• Write about a child of the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about your own Civil Rights experiences.
• Write a story about students protesting for Civil Rights.
• Write about racism today. Write about the lessons you still have not learned
• Write about your current opinion about a past issue dealing with civil rights.
• What is a Civil Rights leader doing today that most of the public doesn’t know about?
• Write your own Martin Luther King, Jr. speech.
• Write about what it meant to “cross over” or “cross the line.”
• Write about your grandparents or ancestors. How do past injustices affect them?
• Write about a symbol of oppression such as a water fountain.
• Write about a Civil Rights event that took place during childhood.
• Write a story about the pattern of aviators who broke racial barriers,
• How has going to jail been represented in pop culture?
• Write a short biography about an important figure in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a story from the point of view of a slave.
• Write a story about maintaining hope.
• Write a poem about a struggle for freedom.
• Why do you think books have the power to alter the course of history?
• How would your life be different if you were discriminated against?
• Write a story about a civil rights leader that influenced you.
• Write about prejudice or discrimination.
• Write about a person who protected activists in the Civil Rights movement.
• How does your cultural identity affect your identity as a citizen?
• Write about a landmark U.S. Supreme Court Case involving the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a story about a time someone was wrongly imprisoned.
• What do you think Abraham Lincoln thought of slavery?
• Write a story about a real encounter with racism you have had.
• Write a letter to a current leader in the Black Lives Matter movement.
• Write a diary entry as northern and/or southern soldiers during the Civil War.
• Write a story or poem about Rosa Parks.
• Write a poem about racism.
• Write a letter to yourself from a Civil Rights Leader.
• Write an obituary for Rosa Parks.
• Write a story about a peaceful protest.
• Write a poem using the form of a delegate speech delivered at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedoms.
• Write a letter from a slave to his or her master.
• Write a poem about a person who had a great impact on someone close to you.
• Write about a Civil Rights icon.
• Write about an iconic civil rights leader of the past.
• Write a story or poem about being great.
• Write about a time you stood up against racism.
• Write about inspiration you can find in your community.
• Write about prejudice.
• Do you think in this day and age civil rights issues still exist?
• Write about a time that you saw someone behaved courageously.
• Write a letter to a friend protesting an unfair law.
• Write a letter to someone in a time of hunger, or to a hunted person.
• Write a story about a Civil Rights Activist who has always been a hero of yours.
• Educational opportunities are becoming accessible. Write a story about how current advances in technology are improving educational opportunities for persons with disabilities.
• Write about the life of Rosa Parks.
• Write about an important civil rights issue.
• Write a story about Augie Garrido, who was the coach of both Cal Berkeley and U.C. Berkeley baseball teams and who sent four black men to the Major Leagues.
• Write a story about freedom to choose.
• Write about an important civil rights conflict in the United States recently.
• Write about a famous Civil Rights leader.
• Write a character sketch about a civil rights activist.
• Write about a woman who was a role model for Civil rights.
• Write a story about people of color.
• Write about a time and/or place when your freedom was threatened.
• Write a story about a famous civil rights activist.
• Write a story about a Civil Rights activist you admire.
• How can anybody think that segregation is acceptable?
• Write about an act of violence in your neighborhood.
• Write a short story about Mahatma Gandhi.
• How has music influenced the Black Civil Rights Movement?
• Write a poem about a civil right in the United States.
• Write about someone involved in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about four turning points in the Civil Rights movement.
• What is prejudice? What is discrimination?
• Write about the fight for equal justice.
• Write about Rosa parks. Where do you find inspiration from when writing about civil rights?
• Write a story about the Civil Rights movement in a more contemporary setting.
• Write a story about women’s rights.
• What is the difference between a segregated school and an integrated school?
• Write about how the United States is setting the stage for a future with little or no racism.
• Write about a day you remember being discriminated against.
• Write about racial prejudice or discrimination.
• Write about someone who worked to change race relations.
• Write about a favorite civil rights leader.
• Write a story where your protagonist states her/his non-violent activism.
• Write about any episode where you spoke out against racism.
• Write about discrimination in a school.
• What are citizens’ rights?
• Write a story about the Civil Rights in which you participated.
• Write about your ideas of citizenship.
• Write about a demonstration or struggle for civil rights that occurred in the town/nearby town where you live/near where you live.
• Write a story for which you go inside the heads and hearts of the characters in a Civil Rights movement.
• Write about Rosa Parks. You can either imagine how she came to that defining moment or describe how another person inspired by Dr. King could have initiated change in a similar way.
• Write about the conditions that the Black Panthers lived in.
• Write a story from a civil rights hero’s point of view.
• Write about non-violent protest.
• Persuasive or argumentative pieces
• Write about your personal freedom.
• Write about how someone teaches others to respect others.
• Write an alternate historical story, changing the outcome of an event that happened in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about an historic event in African American history.
• Write about when you are treated like everyone else.
• Write a character that participates non-violently in a protest.
• How would you have reacted to the lunch counter sit-ins?
• Write about compromise in a Civil Rights situation.
• Write about people who helped to change the minds of others during the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about problems in society.
• Write about the civil rights movement. Decide if you are going to write in first-person or third-person. Who or what will you write about?
• Write a story about Rosa Parks or someone else who took an important stand to improve the conditions of African Americans living in the USA.
• Write about laws today that serve to limit the freedoms of African-Americans.
• Write about the role of violence in the civil rights movement.
• Write a letter to your relatives from the past or future that were in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about the freedom riders trips in the U.S.
• Look to your personal life for ways your own experience is impacted by civil rights issues.
• Is there a benefit to not talking about racism?
• Write an alternative history of the Civil Rights movement.
• Write five Civil Rights issues that the U.S. still has to deal with today.
• Write about the schools.
• Write a story about an important leader from today.
• Write about what you learned about the Civil Rights Movement.
• Write a story about Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president.
• Write about your experience of race & racism in America.
• Write about segregation in the United States.
• Write about a group that advocated for civil rights.
• Write about a time when you experienced discrimination.
• Write a story about you and a person of color overcoming a hurdle.
• Write a story in which characters are fighting for the civil rights of others.
• Write a letter from a prisoner on Death Row.
• Write about men, women & girls. Mind your mouth.
• Write about a fictional character who contributes to a civil rights movement.
• There are many memorials and sculptures of Martin Luther King Jr. across the United States. Author John Green has created a supplemental Mythbusters video about two memorials in Washington D.C.. The video might spark ideas about what to include in your own statues of Dr. King.
• Write about discrimination. What would you do to stop discrimination?
• Write a letter from a supporter to those who are campaigning for their civil rights?
• What does freedom mean to you? What about equality, justice?
• Write about the Selma March.
• Write about Freedom Riders.
• What are other cultures’ opinions of American freedoms?
• Write about a memory of the Civil Rights Movement.
• Write a poem about the 4 basic freedoms.
• Write an alternate history where Rosa Parks did not say “No.”
• Look at what historical figures can teach us about social justice issues.
• Write a short story about a civil rights leader.
• Write about non-violence.
• Write a story about a police officer you admire.
• Write about the Children’s March.
• Write about something inspirational that someone else said. Then write about what you would say.
• Write an essay about the Civil Rights Movement and church.
• Write a character and place him or her in a civil rights movement.
• In fifty words or less, describe the goals of the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a hypothetical story about a person in the Civil Rights movement.
• Use metaphor to describe a group or situation.
• Write a poem about Selma, Alabama
• Thank you for visiting Teaching Hearts and Minds!
• Write about how you would react if the 15th amendment was voted down.
• How are immigration and cultural changes affecting a community?
• Write about the first time you met somebody black or Hispanic.
• Write about the president and how they handled race.
• What would children like you have helped with in the Civil Rights movement before reaching the age of 18?
• Why did Rosa Parks refuse to give up her seat on a bus to a white man? Who was Rosa Parks?
• Write a story about a brave person in your life.
• Write about the Civil Rights Movement you experienced. Write about how the Civil Rights movement affected a person in your circle of family and friends.
• Introduce an ordinary person to her white neighbors. Have them become friends.
• Write about living your life as your authentic self.
• Write an alternate ending to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech.
• Write about freedom from racism.
• What is race relations and how do you define it?
• Write about a historical protest. What attitudes are revealed in the events taking place in the story?
• Write about a racial slur you’ve heard. Explain what the slur means and why people use it.
• What is the most effective way to get folks to join a cause?
• Write about an activist.
• Write an essay about the modern Civil Rights movement and what the Civil Rights movement is now.
• Write a story about Corretta Scott King.
• Write about how the Civil Rights Movement changed your life.
• Write about what makes someone a hero.
• Write a story about an historic discrimination or hate crime.
• Write about freedom for the African Americans today.
• Write about your family history of racism, prejudices, etc.
• Write a story that doesn’t end with a wedding. Write about something else besides forbidden love, boys that come from other planets, and young adult love stories. Put a fresh spin on love stories.
• Write about a famous president or other leader who cared about civil rights.
• Write an ad or speech asking for peoples’ support of the Civil Rights movement.
• Write about a person who affected your life in a positive way.
• Write about a time when you stood up for yourself or someone else.
• Write a postcard to Civil Rights. What does he/she say?
• Writers need to know a bit about the Civil Rights era in order to write about it. Knowledge of basic facts is necessary before using inspiration to write. Basic facts include why the Civil Rights movement started, under which president was it born, and the allies of the movement.
• Write a scene from your future in the Civil Rights movement.
• Write a story where non-violence is accepted as an answer to conflict.
• How does discrimination change people?
• Write about a judge making a difficult decision about racism in society.
• Write a poem about any civil rights issue.

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Civil Rights Movement Essay Titles

• The Civil Rights Movement’s Peaceful Protest Achievements
• The Civil Rights Movement and the Drug War
• The Civil Rights Movement’s Long-Term Impact
• During the Civil Rights Movement: African Americans and Religion
• The American Civil Rights Movement and Its Effect on African Americans
• The Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement Analysis
• Rock’ n’ Roll’s Influence on the Civil Rights Movement
• The Civil Rights Movement’s Importance and Impact on Public Policy
• Women Activists in the Civil Rights Movement
• A History of the Feminist and Civil Rights Movements in the United States
• How Far can the 1950s Be Considered a Great Success for the Civil Rights Movement?
• Study of the Civil Rights Movement in Selma: The Historical Accuracy of Ava DuVernay
• A Look at the American Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Role
• The Historiography of Women’s Civil Rights Movement Roles and Visibility
• The Civil Rights Movement and The Southern Jewish-Black Relationship
• The America Civil Rights Movement’s Contradictory Outcome
• The Montgomery Bus Boycott Movement and The Civil Rights Movement
• The Civil Rights Movement and the Role of the Police
• The Supreme Court’s Role in the Civil Rights Movement

Fascinating Civil Rights Movement Topics to Write about

• The Civil Rights Movement’s Progressive Reform Stages
• Democracy in the United States and the Civil Rights Movement
• Theatre During the Civil Rights Movement
• Student’s Role in the Civil Rights Movement
• During the Civil Rights Movement: Relationship between Activism and the Federal Government.
• African Americans in the Civil Rights Movement Adopted Both Violent and Nonviolent Protest Methods
• The Civil Rights Movement’s Role and Importance of Grassroots Organizers
• The Civil Rights Movement’s Fight for Aid
• The Civil Rights Movement’s Success in the 1950s
• The Reconstruction Era Laws and the Civil Rights Movement
• The Civil Rights Movement and The New York Times
• White Opposition to Civil Rights Movement
• The Civil Rights Movement’s Impact on Black Women
• The Civil Rights Movement in America versus Australia
• Civil Rights Movement Successes and Failures
• The Black Middle Class and the Civil Rights Movement
• The Origins and Impact of the Niagara Movement on the American Civil Rights Movement
• How Significant Was Grassroots Activism in Growing the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s
• The Civil Rights Movement: A History, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
• The Importance of Civil Rights Movement Research
• The Civil Rights Movement’s True Face

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Civil Rights Movement Essay Examples

Emmett till: the murder that changed america.

For every citizen to have the same importance, privileges and prospects would mean to have equality. The lack thereof became the determination to obtain for black woman and men in the US, on a platform known as the Civil Rights Movement. Contrary to popular belief...

Martin Luther King Jr.: a Legacy of Civil Rights and Social Justice

Martin Luther King Jr. is an iconic figure in American history, celebrated for his tireless efforts in advancing civil rights and social justice. His life and work continue to inspire and resonate with people around the world. This essay delves into the remarkable journey of...

Civil Rights Movement and Civil Rights Act of 1964

Considering the topic 'Civil Rights Movement and Civil Rights Act of 1964 Essay' we can say that the main aims of the Civil Rights movement in the classic ‘Montgomery to Memphis’ period of 1955-1968 were to establish laws and public institutions in an attempt to...

Causes and Effects of the Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement was a period committed to activism for equal rights and treatment of African-Americans in the United States. During this period, many people revitalized for social, lawful and political changes to deny separation and end isolation. Numerous significant occasions including victimization African-Americans...

Discussion About Was the Civil Rights Movement Successful

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress”. The civil rights movement had many successes along with some failures as well. Successes included ending segregation and the important advance in equal rights legislation. Failures of the movement included a continued deep-rooted racism towards African...

The Success of the Civil Rights Movement: a Struggle for Equality

The Civil Rights Movement in the United States was a watershed moment in history, seeking to dismantle racial segregation, discrimination, and ensure equal rights for all citizens. This essay explores the achievements of the Civil Rights Movement, examining its impact on legal reforms, social attitudes,...

Civil Unjust in United States in 1968

Martin Luther King Jr. quotes, “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right.” This generation had civil unjust, no trust in the...

Civil Right Acts after Civil War

In my essay, I will be writing about racism in the united states between the blacks and the white and how the blacks are treated unfairly compared to the whites. So, what exactly is racism about? In layman terms racism is the belief of one...

Gender Ineguality in the America

This assignment will compare the sociological perspectives between functionalism and feminism and contrast them. It shall be analysing their views on families. Although feminism began in 1792, when Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) wrote a book ‘a vindication of the rights of women’ stating that women were...

The African Americans in Custer Died for Your Sins

In Chapter 8 of Custer Died For Your Sins, Deloria sets the foundation of how African Americans and Natives were treated by the white man and effectively highlights the differences between both minority groups. The Civil Rights movement was a “huge” accomplishment for African Americans...

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About Civil Rights Movement

United States

W.E.B. Du Bois, Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Henry MacNeal Turner, John Oliver Killens

Unfortunately, there's still a lot of discrimination in our society. The modern civil rights movement is working to address the less visible but very important inequities in our society, such as gender inequality, discrimination of the disabled, ageism, police brutality, etc.

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