when did the civil rights movement gain momentum
Civil rights movement The civil rights movement (also known as the African-American civil rights movement, American civil rights movement and other terms)[b] 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.
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom The march was organized by A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin, who built an alliance of civil rights, labor, and religious organizations[4] that came together under the banner of "jobs and freedom."[5] Estimates of the number of participants varied from 200,000 to 300,000;[6] the most widely cited estimate is 250,000 people.[7] Observers estimated that 75â€“80% of the marchers were black.[8] The march was one of the largest political rallies for human rights in United States history.[5]