The Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement

Montgomery, Alabama: Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement 

Civil Rights Memorial

You are looking at the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama. This memorial honors 40 Americans who were killed during the civil rights movement.

Segration

After the American Civil War, blacks in the South were free. But many still did not treat them as equal. They were denied many of the rights other white citizens had. At the same time, segregation became a way of life. Segregation is the separation of people because of race, religion, or gender. African Americans were often segregated from white people. They could not go to school with whites. They could not eat at white lunch counters. They couldn't even sit beside white people on a bus. 

Multiple Choice

What is segregation?

• The separation of people because of race, religion, or gender.

• Being mean to other people

Montgomery, Alabama

African Americans were unhappy that they were not being treated equally. For several years, African Americans fought against this unfair treatment. Montgomery was home to one of the important milestones in the struggle to achieve racial equality. 

Multiple Choice

Where did the Civil Rights Movement begin?

• Montgomery, Alabama

• Washington DC

Dr. Martin Luther King

In 1955, a minister named Martin Luther King Jr. led a protest against segregation on buses. Before 1955, African Americans could not sit at the front of the bus and had to stand if a white person wanted their seat. African Americans in Montgomery refused to ride the buses until they were treated the same as whites.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Most African Americans back then did not have cars. They needed the bus to get to their jobs. But the people of Montgomery chose to walk to work every day for a year rather than ride on a segregated bus. Thanks to all the people who protested using the buses of Montgomery, bus segregation was finally ended here.

Multiple Choice

The goal of the Civil Rights Movement was to _____.

• repeal segregation laws

• overthrow the American government

• build new houses and schools for African Americans

• Make sure African Americans received more privileges than whites.

Multiple Choice

Why was ending segregation so difficult?

• Most African Americans preferred segregation to integration.

• Buses and schools were segregated in all 50 states.

• Segregation was enforced by many state and federal laws.

• Both Northern and Southern politicians were opposed to integration.

Multiple Choice

How might life in America be different if the Civil Rights Movement had never happened?

• Public places could still be segregated.

• Voting would be easier for everyone.

• Slavery might still exist.

• Americans would be more tolerant of peaceful protests.

Thank you for traveling with me.

I asked you to keep your eyes, ears, and minds wide open on this journey. Now I'll tell you why. 

I wanted you to use your eyes to see the different ways in which the land is used in the Southeast. In Everglades National Park you saw land that people are trying to protect. But, in Appalachia, you saw a mountain being mined for coal. 

I wanted you to use your ears to hear some of the sounds of the Southeast. You heard the sounds of nature—even the roar of a hurricane. You also listened to the music of this region, like bluegrass and jazz. 

Finally, I wanted you to learn how the Southeast has changed over time. Slavery and segregation are part of this region's past—but not its future. As my grandma likes to say, “Times have changed, and they've changed for the better.”