Civil rights movement (1896–1954)

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The Civil rights movement (1896–1954) was a long, primarily nonviolent series of events and actions aimed at ending racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans in the United States. This period laid the groundwork for the more well-known Civil rights movement (1954–1968).

Background

The movement began in response to the Plessy v. Ferguson decision in 1896, which upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine. This ruling led to the widespread implementation of Jim Crow laws across the Southern United States, institutionalizing a system of racial apartheid.

Key Events and Figures

Early Legal Challenges

One of the first significant legal challenges was the Niagara Movement, founded in 1905 by W. E. B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter. This organization was a precursor to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), established in 1909. The NAACP played a crucial role in challenging segregation through the courts.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration (1916–1970) saw millions of African Americans move from the rural South to urban areas in the North and West. This demographic shift had significant social and political implications, as African Americans began to exert more influence in their new communities.

World War II and Its Aftermath

The participation of African Americans in World War II and their contributions to the war effort highlighted the contradictions between the fight for freedom abroad and the lack of civil rights at home. The post-war period saw increased activism, including the formation of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in 1942.

Brown v. Board of Education

The period culminated in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, where the Supreme Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. This decision marked the beginning of the end for the "separate but equal" doctrine and set the stage for the Civil rights movement (1954–1968).

Legacy

The Civil rights movement (1896–1954) was instrumental in laying the foundation for the more extensive civil rights struggles of the 1950s and 1960s. It demonstrated the power of legal challenges and nonviolent resistance in the fight against racial injustice.

Related Pages

• Civil rights movement
• Plessy v. Ferguson
• Jim Crow laws
• NAACP
• Great Migration
• World War II
• Congress of Racial Equality
• Brown v. Board of Education