ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

History of civil rights in the United States

Civil rights are rights given to people by their government, which make sure that everyone is treated equally and fairly. In the United States, civil rights have been around for a very long time, and there has been a lot of progress made.

In the United States, civil rights began when the country was first founded. The founding fathers wrote the Constitution, which said that all Americans should have the same rights, no matter what color their skin was, or what religion they practiced. This was a very important step in the history of civil rights in the United States.

Unfortunately, even though the Constitution said all people should have the same rights, this was not the way things were in the United States. For a long time, African-Americans and other minorities were treated unfairly. They could not go to the same schools, vote, or even get jobs because of the color of their skin. This all changed in 1954, when the Supreme Court said that it was unconstitutional for there to be separate schools for African-Americans. This was a big moment in civil rights in the United States.

After this, the civil rights movement began. This was a movement of people who wanted the same rights for all people, no matter their skin color or religion. People like Martin Luther King Jr. joined this movement and fought for civil rights for all Americans. Finally, in 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed, which made it illegal to discriminate against someone because of the color of their skin or their religion. This was a huge step towards equal rights for all Americans.

Today, the civil rights movement continues and people continue to fight for better rights for everyone in the United States. Civil rights are still very important in the United States and progress is still being made every day.