American civil rights movement

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Participants, some carry American flags, march in the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. in 1965. The Selma-to-Montgomery, Alabama., civil rights march, 1965. Voter registration drive, Voting Rights Act

Riding Freedom: 10 Milestones in U.S. Civil Rights History

In 1958, Mildred Loving, a black woman, and her white husband, Richard Loving, went to Washington to get married. After they returned to Central Point, police raided their home and arrested them

50 Years Ago: Loving v. Virginia

Police began to move in the area of 12th Street and Clairmont as hundreds of people fill the street with violence gaining momentum during the 1967 Detroit Race Riot.

The Riots of the Long, Hot Summer

African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.

Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement

Selma March Infographic. Selma to Montgomery marches, March 1965. Alabama. United States.

Selma March Timeline

Saint Lucia Day. Young girl wears Lucia crown (tinsel halo) with candles. Holds Saint Lucia Day currant laced saffron buns (lussekatter or Lucia's cats). Observed December 13 honor virgin martyr Santa Lucia (St. Lucy). Luciadagen, Christmas, Sweden

7 Winter Solstice Celebrations From Around the World

Facsimile of one of William Henry Ireland's forgeries, a primitive self-portrait of William Shakespeare(tinted engraving). Published for Samuel Ireland, Norfolk Street, Strand, December 1, 1795. (W.H. Ireland, forgery)

The Time a Law Clerk Successfully Forged a New Shakespeare Play to Impress His Dad

American civil rights movement Article

Who were some key figures of the American civil rights movement?

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Martin Luther King, Jr., was an important leader of the civil rights movement. Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat on a public bus to a white customer, was also important. John Lewis, a civil rights leader and politician, helped plan the March on Washington. Visit list of key figures in the American civil rights movement for additional contributors to the movement.