Which U.S. social movement fought to end racial segregation and secure civil rights for African Americans in the 1950s–60s?

• A. The Black Panther Movement
• B. The American Civil Rights Movement
• C. The New Left Movement
• D. The Abolitionist Movement

Answer: (B)

The movement described is the American Civil Rights Movement, a coordinated national effort in the 1950s and 1960s to end racial segregation and secure equal rights for African Americans. It pursued legal challenges, nonviolent direct action, and mass mobilization to dismantle Jim Crow laws and win protections like desegregation, voting rights, and equal access to public accommodations. Key moments—such as the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 along with the Voting Rights Act of 1965—illustrate how the movement combined court victories, organized protests, and federal legislation to achieve its goals. The other movements don’t fit this specific focus or timeframe: the Black Panther Movement arose later with emphasis on Black self-defense and community programs; the New Left centered on broader societal issues beyond racial segregation; and the Abolitionist Movement fought slavery in the 19th century rather than in the 1950s–60s.