History of civil rights in the United States facts for kids
Civil rights in the United States are about making sure everyone has equal rights and is treated fairly, no matter their background. This includes fighting against unfair treatment based on race, gender, or other differences. Over the years, many people and groups have worked hard to make sure all Americans, like Native Americans, African Americans, women, and others, have the same rights and opportunities.
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Early Struggles for Equal Rights
Many important events happened between 1776 and 1866 that showed the need for civil rights.
Slavery in the United States
For a long time, the United States allowed people to be enslaved. Most enslaved people were African Americans who were taken from Africa and forced to work without freedom. This terrible practice began in the 16th century during the time of British colonization.
What Was Racial Segregation?
Racial segregation meant keeping different races separate. There were two main types:
- Segregation by law (De jure): This was when laws forced people of different races to be separate. Before the Civil War, these were called slave codes. After the war, they were known as Black Codes and Jim Crow laws.
- Segregation in practice (De facto): This happened when people were separated in real life, even without specific laws forcing it.
Brave Challenges to Segregation
Many individuals bravely stood up against unfair treatment.
Frederick Douglass and James N. Buffum
In 1841, Frederick Douglass, a famous speaker and writer, and his friend James N. Buffum refused to leave a train car meant only for white passengers. Their brave action helped lead to the Civil Rights Act of 1875. This law aimed to give Black citizens equal rights in public places. However, the Supreme Court later said this law was unconstitutional in 1883.
Elizabeth Jennings Graham's Bus Ride
On July 16, 1854, Elizabeth Jennings Graham, a 24-year-old schoolteacher, got on a bus that didn't have a "Colored Persons Allowed" sign. The bus driver tried to force her off, but she refused to move.
Charlotte L. Brown's Streetcar Fight
In 1863, streetcars in San Francisco only allowed white passengers. On April 17, 1863, Charlotte L. Brown, an African American woman, bravely boarded a streetcar. She was forced off, but she tried two more times. Each time, she sued the company, fighting for her rights.
Women Demand the Right to Vote
The fight for women's suffrage (the right to vote) grew strong in the 1840s. It was part of a larger movement for women's rights. At the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, the first meeting for women's rights, people voted for women's suffrage, even though some thought it was too extreme. By 1850, getting the right to vote became a very important goal for the movement.
Civil Rights After Slavery (1865–1896)
After slavery ended, the period from 1865 to 1896 saw big changes for Black communities. The goal was to end racial discrimination, create better chances for education and jobs, and give Black citizens more power in elections.
Slavery Ends in the United States
The Emancipation Proclamation was an order given by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. It declared that millions of enslaved people in the Confederacy were now free. This meant that as soon as an enslaved person escaped or was reached by the Union Army, they became legally free. By June 1865, the Union Army had reached all parts of the Confederacy and freed all enslaved people.
The Civil Rights Act of 1866
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 was the first U.S. federal law to say that all citizens were equally protected by the law. It was created after the American Civil War to protect the rights of African Americans born in or brought to the United States.
President Andrew Johnson tried to stop this law twice, but Congress voted to pass it anyway. Later, in 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment was passed, which further supported the ideas of the 1866 Act. Other important laws followed, like the Civil Rights Act of 1871 (also called the Klan Act) and the Civil Rights Act of 1875.
Katherine "Kate" Brown's Train Ride
On February 8, 1868, Katherine Brown boarded a train car meant for white passengers while traveling from Alexandria to Washington, D.C.. A railroad policeman told her to move, saying, "no damned niger was allowed to ride in that car." She refused, and after a struggle, she was thrown off the train.
Her injuries were serious. Senators heard about her case and called for an investigation. Brown sued the railway company and won $1,500. The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1873, the Court ruled in her favor, saying that the railroad company's rules could not exclude people based on race. The Court said that white and Black passengers must be treated equally on the train.
Civil Rights from 1896 to 1954
The period from 1896 to 1954 saw a long, mostly peaceful effort to gain full civil rights and equality for all Americans. This time had a lasting effect on American society, showing how common and harmful racism was.
Women Gain the Right to Vote
Women's legal right to vote, known as women's suffrage, was achieved over more than 50 years. It started in different states and local areas, sometimes with limits. Finally, in 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment gave women across the country the right to vote.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. It lists the basic rights and freedoms that all people should have. It was a big step in the history of human and civil rights.
The Declaration has 30 articles that describe everyone's "basic rights and fundamental freedoms." It says that all humans are "born free and equal in dignity and rights," no matter their nationality, gender, race, religion, or language. This document has inspired many international human rights laws.
Civil Rights Movement (1954–1968)
The civil rights movement from 1954 to 1968 was a major effort by African Americans and their supporters to end legal racial discrimination, stop people from being denied the right to vote, and end racial segregation in the United States. This movement used many peaceful protests and actions. These efforts led to new protections in federal law for the human rights of all Americans.
Ending Racial Segregation in the United States
Segregation by law (de jure segregation) was made illegal by important laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Before these laws, the Warren Court had already started to end school segregation with decisions like Brown v. Board of Education.
Civil Rights in the 21st Century
Even today, segregation "in practice" (de facto segregation) still exists in areas like where people live and where children go to school. This is due to both current actions and the lasting effects of past legal segregation.
Another big challenge in the United States is ending homelessness. In 2010, over 1.5 million people experienced homelessness. The COVID-19 pandemic made this problem worse, as many people lost their jobs and homes. Millions of Americans faced eviction in 2021.
Sadly, some laws have also made it harder for people experiencing homelessness. For example, at least 31 cities have made it illegal to feed people who are homeless outdoors.
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