The American Civil Rights Movement

Catalog description

The Black freedom struggle is the most significant social movement in the history of the United States. It has been principally through this struggle that many ideals of America's founding-liberty, justice, freedom, and equality-have been made real and extended to an ever-increasing number of American citizens. And it is from this struggle that other social movements have been inspired, propelled, and measured. This class will focus on a ten-year portion of the Black freedom struggle that occurred in the American South. Between 1955 and 1965, Black Americans in this region transformed the country's laws and cultural practices by taking their protests to the courts, classrooms, churches and streets during the civil rights movement. The class purpose is to explore that movement with special attention to its causes and consequences, failures and achievements.