Quick facts about the Civil Rights Movement Protesting declined after the 1960s due to the assassinations of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.
Kennedy invited MLK to the White House to see what his motives were at one point. JFK supported the non-violent movements that MLK led. MLK preached about responding to hate with love and kindness instead of hate.
In 1955, African-American woman, Rosa Parks, refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white male sparked protests by blacks and some whites.
Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential speakers on the subject of racial equality. In 1963, he became known for his famous "I have a dream" speech. In 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. His assassination only pushed civil rights even more.
Greensboro sit-ins- Four young men sat at an all white counter in a restaurant. They were refused service but sat there politely until closing time. This started similar protests in the South. After six months of these sit-ins, Greensboro desegregated its counters.
In 1961, a group of Freedom Riders, consisting of 13 African-American and white activists try to travel across the South to protest segregation. Buses lines refused to take them but eventually, the Kennedy administration pressured the Interstate Commerce Commission to issue regulations prohibiting segregation in interstate transit terminals.