Story of the Civil Rights Movement in Photographs

In Montgomery, Alabama, segregation was a way of life for African Americans. Rosa Parks, riding the bus after a long day of work, was tired of it. When the bus driver demanded Parks leave her seat for a white man, she refused. The police arrested her. Her courage ignited a boycott of Montgomery's buses, one of the great protests that sparked the Civil Rights Movement. Through dramatic primary source photographs, author David Aretha explores this pivotal moment in American history.

In September 1957, nine brave African-American students attempted to do something that had not been done in the segregated South, integrate a public school. Until 1957, black students could not attend school with white students, and black schools were often inferior to white schools. However, in the face of hatred, protest, and violence, these courageous students, who came to be known as the Little Rock Nine, led the charge for change. Through riveting primary source photographs, author David Aretha examines this critical time in the Civil Rights Movement.

Bombs. Clubs. Metal pipes. Severe beatings. Angry segregationists. This is what the Freedom Riders faced when they journeyed into the Deep South to integrate the interstate buses and terminals. Civil rights activists, black and white, understood the dangers of the Freedom Rides. They knew opposition would be fierce, but they did not care. It was worth the risk in the pursuit of African-American rights. Through captivating primary source photographs, author David Aretha examines this fight for equality in the Civil Rights Movement.

On August 28, 1963, more than 250,000 people descended on Washington, D.C. They came by bus, car, and bicycle. Some even walked hundreds of miles to be there. On that day, the massive crowd gathered to march, protest, sing, and support the Civil Rights Movement and to demonstrate that the time had come to end segregation in the South. To a captivated audience, Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke of his "dream," when African Americans would have equal rights. Through vivid primary source photographs, author David Aretha explores the "greatest demonstration for freedom" in American history.

Martin Luther King, Jr., called Birmingham, Alabama, the most segregated city in America. In 1963, he and other civil rights leaders believed it was time to change that. With marches and protests throughout the city, civil rights activists hoped the movement would draw national attention. Hundreds of young African Americans joined the cause, marching for equal rights. Angry segregationists reacted, violently. And it would play out in newspapers and on television screens across the country. Through dramatic primary source photographs, author David Aretha explores this crucial struggle of the Civil Rights Movement.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a momentous victory for civil rights activists, but one major obstacle remained in the path toward equal rights for African Americans: the right to vote. In the South, segregationists prevented African Americans from voting. Civil rights leaders believed it was time for strong action and chose Selma, Alabama, as the rallying point. There, the marches and protests captured the nation's attention. Through gripping primary source photographs, author David Aretha explores this important time in American history.