Slavery in the United States officially ended in 1865 with the end of the Civil War. But that was not the end of the mistreatment of African Black people.
By the turn of the century, a system had been made up to keep Black people “in their place.” This place was lower socially, economically, and politically to that of White people. The system was called segregation, or the separation of the races.
In the South, laws kept Black people in segregated schools, restaurants, and restrooms. They had to use separate drinking fountains and sit in the backs of buses. In the North, there were unwritten rules about where Black people could live, work, and play. Two things kept segregation in place. One was the constant threat of violence against Black people. The other was the southern states’ organized denial of Black peoples' right to vote.
From the start of segregation, Black people fought hard for their rights as U.S. citizens. But until the 1950s, they didn’t get very far. That was when a series of nonviolent protests began. Black people started to undo some of the wrongs done to them, starting with the enslavement of their ancestors. These protests came to be known as the civil rights movement.

◀ Segregation created some strange and shameful situations. In the 1940s, when the U.S. was at war with Germany, German prisoners of war were being taken from one prison to another in the South. During the trip, they stopped at a roadside café for lunch. The White enemy prisoners were served inside the restaurant. But not the Black soldiers who were guarding them. They were told to pick up their food at the back door of the café and eat it outside.
What are civil rights? They are the protections and privileges guaranteed by law to citizens of a country. In the United States, they include the right to vote and the right to equal treatment in the eyes of the law. In 1920, after a long fight, women won the right to vote. Famous Black Americans, including former slaves Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth, who were formerly enslaved, were part of the women’s suffrage movement. ▶

Civil rights protesters drew strength and joy from singing together. “We Shall Overcome” became the movement’s anthem.
We shall overcome,
We shall overcome,
We shall overcome some day;
Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe,
We shall overcome some day.


◀ The leaders of the civil rights movement were committed to using only nonviolent protest. That meant marches, big demonstrations, and sit-ins to point out injustices. Another part was civil disobedience. That meant breaking a law thought to be unfair, and being willing to go to jail. Mohandas K. Gandhi (left) was an inspiration for the U.S. civil rights movement. He led a nonviolent movement that freed India from British domination in 1947.
Civil Rights Dictionary
Desegregation
Ending the policy of segregation
Discrimination
Treating people differently based on race or some other feature
Integration
Putting people of different groups together as equals
Prejudice
Bias toward or unreasonable hatred of other groups
Racism
An attitude of superiority toward a person of a different race, most often directed at non-White people
Segregation
The policy of keeping racial groups apart from each other
Check It Out!
Who was Henry David Thoreau? How did he influence the U.S. civil rights movement?
Nonviolent protesters were inspired by American writer Henry David Thoreau. He wrote an essay called “Civil Disobedience” in 1849. Thoreau went to jail because he refused to pay taxes. It was an act of protest against slavery and the Mexican War.