Editing 1960s (section)

===Civil rights movement===
{{Main|Civil rights movement}}
[[File:Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. (Leaders of the march posing in front of the statue of Abraham Lincoln... - NARA - 542063 (cropped).jpg|thumb|240px|Leaders of the [[civil rights movement]]'s 28 August 1963, [[March on Washington]] in front of the [[Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln Memorial)|statue of Abraham Lincoln]]]]

Beginning in the mid-1950s and continuing into the late 1960s, [[African Americans]] in the United States organized a movement to end legalized [[racial discrimination]] and obtain [[Suffrage|voting rights]]. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1955 and 1968, particularly in the South. The emergence of the [[Black Power movement]], which lasted roughly from 1966 to 1975, enlarged the aims of the civil rights movement to include racial dignity, [[Economy of the United States|economic]] and [[politics of the United States|political]] [[self-sufficiency]], and [[anti-imperialism]].

The movement was characterized by major campaigns of [[civil resistance]]. Between 1955 and 1968, acts of [[civil disobedience]] and [[Nonviolence|nonviolent]] protest produced crisis situations between activists and government authorities. Federal, state, and local governments, businesses, and communities often had to respond immediately to these situations that highlighted the inequities faced by African Americans. Forms of protest and/or civil disobedience included boycotts such as the successful [[Montgomery bus boycott]] (1955–1956) in Alabama, [[sit-in]]s such as the influential [[Greensboro sit-ins]] (1960) in North Carolina, [[Demonstration (people)|marches]] such as the [[Selma to Montgomery marches]] (1965) in Alabama, and other nonviolent activities.

Noted legislative achievements during this phase of the civil rights movement were passage of [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]]<ref name="cra64">{{cite web|url=http://finduslaw.com/civil_rights_act_of_1964_cra_title_vii_equal_employment_opportunities_42_us_code_chapter_21|title=Civil Rights Act of 1964 – CRA – Title VII – Equal Employment Opportunities – 42 US Code Chapter 21|access-date=22 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101021141154/http://finduslaw.com/civil_rights_act_of_1964_cra_title_vii_equal_employment_opportunities_42_us_code_chapter_21|archive-date=21 October 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> that banned discrimination based on "race, color, religion, or national origin" in employment practices and public accommodations, the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]] that restored and protected voting rights, the [[Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965]] that dramatically opened entry to the U.S. to immigrants other than traditional European groups, and the [[Fair Housing Act of 1968]] that banned discrimination in the sale or rental of housing.