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What's the history of the civil rights movement in America?
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The history of the civil rights movement in America began in the early twentieth century, when African Americans were still subject to racial segregation, fewer opportunities for employment, and limited access to education. In 1955, Rosa Parks famously refused to give up her bus seat to a white person in Montgomery, Alabama, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott and launching a nationwide civil rights movement that continued throughout the mid-20th century. Led by civil rights activists such as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., protesters organized marches and sit-ins to combat discrimination and advance civil rights. In 1957, President Dwight Eisenhower enforced the first federal civil rights law since Reconstruction and, in 1964, the Civil Rights Act was signed into law, outlawing segregation and discrimination on the basis of race. This landmark legislation was followed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which guaranteed African Americans the right to vote. This legislation helped achieve many advances for African Americans, including access to education, employment, and housing. Despite the progress made, racism and discrimination continue to be major problems in America today.