What is the key event in the history of the civil rights movement? Who was the leader of the movement? What were some of the characteristics of the civil rights movement?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

but should identify the civil rights movement as arguably the most notable social movement in the United States. Perhaps the key event in the history of the civil rights movement was the successful 1955 boycott of segregated city buses in Montgomery, Alabama. While the movement was organized locally, it was led by the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. ([1958] 2010). His success there catapulted him into the position of leader of the national civil rights movement. The Montgomery boycott served as a model for future civil rights action and all other subsequent social movements. The success of the Montgomery bus boycott led black organizations to become more involved in civil rights activities. The movement had great success, manifest especially in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned discrimination on the basis not only of race but also of sex, religion, and national identity. Of course, the larger goal of eliminating racism in America eluded the civil rights movement.