THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
During the 1900s, many states had laws that discriminated against people based on their race. Some of these laws said that people of different races had to go to separate schools, eat in separate restaurants, and live in separate neighborhoods. Other laws made it difficult for people to vote based on their race. Many of the states that had these laws wanted to separate Black Americans from White Americans. Some states had laws that discriminated against Latino Americans and Asian Americans.
Soon after World War II ended, many people in the United States began a movement to end racial discrimination. The movement to end racial discrimination in the United States is called the Civil Rights Movement.
During the Civil Rights Movement, many people worked to end the laws that separated people based on their race or made it difficult for people to vote based on their race. For example, Martin Luther King, Jr., fought for civil rights. He was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement who organized peaceful protests against racial discrimination and laws that separated people by race. A lot of his work focused on fighting for civil rights for Black Americans, but he wanted all people in the United States to have civil rights.
There were also many Latino Americans, Asian Americans, and people from other communities that helped lead the fight for civil rights. For example, Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta were civil rights leaders from the Latino American community.
The Civil Rights Movement led to many changes in the United States. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other civil rights leaders were able to convince Congress to pass two laws that protect civil rights and voting rights. In 1964, Congress passed a law called the Civil Rights Act. This law says it is illegal to discriminate against someone based on their race, religion, sex, or national origin. In 1965, Congress passed another law called the Voting Rights Act. This law says that states cannot deny people the right to vote based on their race.
Today, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a national holiday. We celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on the third Monday in January.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader.
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