<P> The civil rights movement ( also known as the African - American civil rights movement , American civil rights movement and other terms ) was a decades - long movement with the goal of securing legal rights for African Americans that other Americans already held . With roots starting in the Reconstruction era during the late 19th century , the movement resulted in the largest legislative impacts after the direct actions and grassroots protests organized from the mid-1950s until 1968 . Encompassing strategies , various groups , and organized social movements to accomplish the goals of ending legalized racial segregation and discrimination in the United States , the movement , using major nonviolent campaigns , eventually secured new recognition in federal law and federal protection of all Americans . </P>
<P> The civil rights movement ( also known as the African - American civil rights movement , American civil rights movement and other terms ) was a decades - long movement with the goal of securing legal rights for African Americans that other Americans already held . With roots starting in the Reconstruction era during the late 19th century , the movement resulted in the largest legislative impacts after the direct actions and grassroots protests organized from the mid-1950s until 1968 . Encompassing strategies , various groups , and organized social movements to accomplish the goals of ending legalized racial segregation and discrimination in the United States , the movement , using major nonviolent campaigns , eventually secured new recognition in federal law and federal protection of all Americans . </P>
when did the modern civil rights movement begin
when did the modern civil rights movement begin
the mid-1950s
the mid-1950s