Achievements of the civil rights movement

Introduction

The main achievements of the civil rights movement are the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. However, many of the actions and events during the civil rights movement led to a number of minor victories which paved the way for the two legislative acts that secured the civil rights of African Americans.

For example, the Montgomery Bus Boycott eventually led to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) winning a Supreme Court Decision in 1956 to desegregate the bus system in 1956.

In 1957, a Civil Rights Act was passed making it possible for the Attorney General to sue on behalf of persons whose voting rights were not respected. The act also created the Commission on Civil Rights which was meant to investigate voting rights violations.

In 1960, a Civil Rights Act allowed federal courts to appoint referees to supervise voter registration in places where voter discrimination was practiced.

The Freedom Rides lead to desegregation of the interstate buses and related facilities. The 1963 Birmingham Campaign managed to end segregation in the city of Birmingham. The 1963 March on Washington raised global awareness about the civil rights movement in the US and inspired similar actions in other countries.

You can read more about these acts of protest in our section on key events of the civil rights movement.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 officially ...