Civil Rights Movement

noun

variants or less commonly American Civil Rights Movement
: a movement (see movement sense 2b) for racial equality in the U.S. that came to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s

Examples of Civil Rights Movement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The works are both contemporary and historical, everything from reflections on the Civil Rights Movement to the aftermath of the George Floyd murder, from the Black athletes’ protest on the medal stand at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City to the activism of DC Comics’ Justice League of America. David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024 The Civil Rights Movement, for instance, was based on the premise that moral persuasion could force law and politics to take steps beyond what many voters were ready for. Mark Sappenfield, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024 Almost immediately Simpson got involved with the city’s burgeoning Civil Rights Movement and befriended Theodore Gibson, the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Coconut Grove and one of the Black community’s leading activists at the time. C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 The markers highlight the people, places and events that cement the city's place in the Civil Rights Movement. Journal Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2024 Spill the Honey is a foundation dedicated to telling the story and commemorating the legacy of the work between the Black and Jewish communities that made the Civil Rights Movement possible. Ali Martin, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Feb. 2024 There’s currently a temporary exhibition (through Dec. 31) exploring the Civil Rights Movement, including the Roosevelts’ political evolution on the matter over the years. Lauren Sloss, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2024 The house served as a hub for organizers − including Martin Luther King Jr. − who were planning the Selma-to-Montgomery marches during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, when activists across the nation pushed for equal rights for African Americans and to put an end to racial segregation. Liz Kellar, Detroit Free Press, 26 Feb. 2024 Juan Floyd-Thomas, Associate Professor of African American Religious History at Vanderbilt University, joins us on The Excerpt to discuss the effort to preserve these historic sites, part of the backbone of the Civil Rights Movement. Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Civil Rights Movement.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Civil Rights Movement was in 1872

Dictionary Entries Near Civil Rights Movement

Cite this Entry

“Civil Rights Movement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Civil%20Rights%20Movement. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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